


Humble Beginnings

by Caora



Category: Banana Bus Squad, I AM WILDCAT (YouTube RPF), MiniLadd (Youtube RPF), VanossGaming (Video Blogging RPF)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Blood, Broken Bones, Chloroform, Dream Sequence, Explosions, Fire, Gore, Grenades, Guns, Hospitals, Impalement, Kidnapping, Knives, M/M, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 10:12:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 100,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3525344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caora/pseuds/Caora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>GTAV AU. With money getting scarce, Mini finds himself turning to less than legal ways to pay the rent, committing crimes he never thought he'd do in a million years. Things quickly start snowballing out of control, but luckily he has Tyler to hold his hand when things get rough.</p><p>Or, "how Mini and his friends accidentally started a gang, and fell in love in the process."</p><p>(Discontinued)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Liar Liar

**Author's Note:**

> I can't write summaries to save my life. Basically this fic is set within their GTA universe and details how the gang got together and grew to become the ruthless band of idiots we all know and love, with a particular focus on Mini and Tyler.
> 
> Minicat is the main pairing, and there'll be some Terrornuckel and SIlentcalibre further down the line :)

Mini stopped paying attention to the movie two jump scares ago, and merely stared at the screen without absorbing anything. Periodically, he'd glance at the door to the apartment, waiting for someone to walk through it, before flicking his gaze back to the TV when nobody did. His fingers drummed against his knee nervously as he started to worry. Evan said they would be back by now. Why weren't they back yet?

Out of the corner of his eye, Mini eyed his friend on the other end of the couch, and frowned. Brock didn't seem concerned at all that their friends hadn't returned yet. He was completely fixated on the terrible movie, eyes glued to the screen as he unconsciously shoveled popcorn into his mouth. Then again, Brock was too trusting for his own good and saw no reason to believe that Evan and Tyler were doing anything other than 'running some errands' like they'd said.

But Mini knew better. Mini knew they were up to something, he just didn't know what. He had overheard them planning something in the kitchen one night when they thought he was still asleep. He missed the details of their plan, but heard more than enough to be concerned about their safety and well being. Why wouldn't he be, when Tyler and Evan themselves felt uneasy and were dreading whatever they were about to do?

And now the two of them had gone off on their own after refusing to let Mini come with them and dodging most of the questions he'd asked them. That was at noon, and now it was almost seven and they had yet to return. Mini felt that he had every right to be worried about them. He didn't know where they were, what they were doing, and had no way of knowing if either of them had gotten hurt. He felt like an overprotective mother waiting for her rebel sons to come home, and he hated it. He hated that his best friends, who were supposed to be with him through thick and thin, were keeping things from him.

Mini pulled out his phone and opened his contacts. Maybe it was about time he gave them a call. His thumb was hovering above Tyler's name when he heard the apartment door opening, and his head snapped up to see the grinning faces he was impatiently waiting for.

"Honeys, I'm home!" Tyler sang as he stepped into the apartment, Evan following in behind him. He lightly chuckled to himself at Tyler's entrance as he locked the door behind them. "And I've brought home the bacon!" Tyler added, waving around a plastic bag that he then carried into the connected kitchen.

"Where have you two been?" Mini asked in a tone sharper than he intended, ignoring the bag filled with cheap Chinese food for the time being. Brock, on the other hand, leaped up off of the couch and made a beeline towards Tyler to help him unpack their meals, bowl of buttered popcorn now forgotten.

"Running errands," Evan responded coolly, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. "We got stuck in the bank for a few hours trying to get our money problems sorted out which is what took us so long."

"Is everything okay now? Or are we still broke?" Brock asked as he opened one of the paper boxes, chopsticks in hand.

"Nah, we're still broke," Evan smiled at him apologetically, knowing he would be disappointed by the news.

Brock frowned. "So are we going to miss another rent payment then?"

"No, not if I can help it. Tyler and I have a plan," Evan said with confidence, and Mini clenched his jaw. Was this plan the one he heard them discussing the other day? The one he refused to tell him and Brock about because it was 'too dangerous'?

"Hell yeah we do!" Tyler cheered as he dug into his food. "And if everything goes well, we won't ever have to worry about rent money again!" He clinked his can of coke against Brock's in an early celebration, who was now grinning as wide as they were.

Mini, however, still had a very bad feeling about this. "Well, do you fancy sharing this master plan with the rest of the class?" he asked, still wary and anxious as to what his friends were doing behind his back.

"In due time, Mini, in due time," Evan said as vague as ever, lightly gripping his shoulder which did little to reassure him. "We still have a few kinks to iron out, but for now, why don't you go and enjoy the Chinese food that Tyler and I slaved over a menu to order for you, hmm?"

"I got you your favourite!" Tyler piped up, talking with his mouth full, and Mini smiled in spite of himself at the fact that he remembered a detail as small and unimportant as to what his favourite dish was. He felt a light flutter in his chest for a brief second but it was gone as soon as it came.

Mini nodded to Evan's request and got up off the couch, willing to drop the subject for the time being, but silently promised himself to quiz them on it again later. Evan grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder again, before heading to the bedroom to drop off the gym bag he had been carrying. As he moved, Mini could hear an odd metallic clanking coming from the bag, and he was once again overcome with suspicion.

There was obviously something other than sweaty gym clothes in that bag, and Mini got the impression that he and Tyler were hiding something from them in there, something they didn't want him to know about. He made a vow with himself then and there to uncover their secret plan and find out what was going on, before either of them did something they might regret. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't be able to get anything out of Evan; he was much too sly and savvy and careful with words.

But he might be able to break Tyler.

\----

Mini deliberately waited until Evan and Brock had gone to bed before confronting Tyler. They were currently settled on Mini's sofabed, having just pulled it out after Brock slinked off towards his bedroom, as per their usual nightly routine. Mini was reclined back into the left corner of the bed, watching Tyler play Call of Duty on the Xbox, but if he was being honest with himself, he was paying more attention to Tyler himself than the game.

Tyler was perched cross legged in the middle of the bed, hunched over their sole controller, eyes fixated on the screen. A look of intense concentration graced his features, mouth moving soundlessly as silent curses spilled from his lips. His shoulders were stiff and tense, and Mini was half tempted to crawl behind him and massage them, if he wasn't so concerned that he'd be crossing some sort of line.

Out of nowhere, Tyler audibly swore and banged the controller against the soft bedding, knocking Mini out of the daze he hadn't realised he was in. It wasn't until then that he noticed the 'Game Over' screen on the TV, and Tyler handed him the controller. "Here, you play for a bit. I'm fucking done with these try hards," he said, obviously irritated by the outcome of the round.

Mini took the controller from him and played with it for a moment in his hands as he had an internal debate with himself. Was now a good time to ask him about earlier? His distress must have been showing in his expression, as Tyler suddenly frowned at him in concern. "Hey, you doing okay?" he asked as he reclined back into a more comfortable position. "You've been really quiet all night. Usually I'd be telling your loud ass to shut the fuck up right about now."

Mini couldn't help but crack a smile at that comment, but his uplifted mood didn't last long. It was now or never. "Hey Tyler..." he began hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

Well here goes nothing.

"What did you and Evan do today?" he asked bluntly, making sure to look him directly in the eye so he'd be less inclined to lie to him.

"Uhh..." He caught Tyler off guard with his question and he was taken aback for a moment, before quickly recovering and forcing a smirk. "We already told you what we did today. We went to the bank and the gym, then picked up some food for you assholes. You're welcome, by the way."

"Nothing else?" Tyler nodded. "You didn't stop anywhere new, do something you two don't usually do? Nothing illegal or... dangerous?"

"Nothing any more illegal or dangerous than the shit we usually do," Tyler admitted, eyeing him warily, unsure where Mini was going with this conversation. "Why would you think we were doing anything else? Don't you trust us?"

Mini had to think about that, and his hesitation to answer scared him. Did he trust them? Before now, he had no reason not to, and trusted his friends with his life; quite literally, on more than one occasion. They always had his back when he needed them most, especially Tyler.

The four of them have had money problems for as long as they had known each other, and have always struggled to find money to pay for living expenses. While Brock and Evan were in the subways pickpocketing wallets and jewelry, Mini and Tyler were breaking into cars to steal abandoned phones and handbags, and siphoning gas for Tyler's truck. Mini trusted him to keep an eye out for the police or the owners' while he slipped plastic tubing into gas tanks or hairpins into locks. He trusted Tyler to keep him safe, and not to abandon him at the first sign of trouble.

The issue wasn't that he didn't trust Tyler, because he did, wholeheartedly. Even now when he knew Tyler was keeping things from him, he still trusted him with his life.

The issue wasn't that he didn't trust Tyler, it was that Tyler didn't trust him.

In the short few months they'd known each other, Mini and Tyler had grown quite close. Mini shared secrets with him that he wouldn't even think of telling Evan or Brock. Every last detail, whether it was important or irrelevant, painful or embarrassing, Mini told Tyler because he trusted him, and thought that Tyler returned that same trust in him. Now he wasn't so sure anymore.

Now, Tyler stopped being honest with him, stopped telling him secrets, and started keeping things from him. Tyler was lying to his face, and it was beginning to piss him the fuck off.

"Yeah. Yeah I trust you," Mini answered after much thought, and sat up straight. "But you don't trust me."

"Of course I fucking trust you!" Tyler retorted, offended that he'd think otherwise.

"Then why are you fucking lying to me, then?!"

"I'm not lying to you," Tyler spoke sharply, dropping eye contact as he spoke.

"Yes you are! You're clearly lying to me! I've asked you fucking twice now what you and Evan did today- aside from going to the bank and the gym and  _where ever the fuck else_ \- and you won't tell me!"

"Because we didn't GO anywhere else!"

"Oh Really?"

"Yes really!"

"Then what the fuck was Evan carrying in his gym bag then, because it sure as fuck wasn't gym clothes?!"

Tyler's eyes widened and the words died in his throat, and Mini knew that he had him. A tense, dead air swallowed the room, the only sounds breaking the silence between them were the fake gunshots from the Xbox and the distant sounds of snoring coming from the other room. Mini kept his eyes locked with Tyler's, and even though his heart was beating hard and quick against his rib cage and he found himself struggling to keep his breath steady, he didn't dare look away from him.

"...How did you know there was something else in there?" Tyler asked him cautiously, giving up on trying to pretend that they weren't doing anything suspicious.

"I heard clinking when Evan walked by me earlier," Mini informed him. "What the hell was he hiding in there?"

Tyler sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, his gaze cast downward at his toes. "...I can't tell you," he admitted reluctantly, biting his lips and looking up at him dejectedly.

"...You can't tell me...?" Mini repeated in disbelief. "Why the fuck not?"

"Because it's better if you don't know."

"...What?" Mini hissed, growing more and more confused by the second.

Tyler sighed again and got up off the sofabed, and Mini noted how his shoulders and back were just as tense as they were but a few moments ago when he was playing on the Xbox, before he had said anything. Part of him wished he hadn't.

"Look," Tyler said as he began to pace back and forward in the living room. "You know that plan we mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well... it might be more dangerous than we let on..." Tyler admitted. "I- We-  _Evan_  came up with this plan that if we managed to pull off, we could potentially rake in a couple of grand..." Mini's eyebrows shot up. "...But if we fuck up, then we could be looking at spending years in prison, more years than we'd get if we got caught breaking into a fucking sedan, assuming we don't get shot by the police before we can make off with the cash. We didn't tell you, because if you and Brock don't know anything, then they can't lock you two away with us. I- We were just trying to protect you." Tyler had stopped pacing and now stood by the sofabed, hands resting on the arm, looking at him with an expression Mini couldn't quite place.

A moment of silence passed as Mini struggled to find the words to respond to that. Tyler had given him a lot of information to digest without really telling him anything, and he gave him a lot more questions than he answered. "So you lied to me to protect me and Brock...?" Mini asked slowly.

"Yeah, I can't let you two fuckboys go to prison. You're too soft, you'll be eaten alive," Tyler teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Besides, you're  _my_  bitch, and not some convict's with more tattoos than sense," he smirked, and tried to lean over and pinch Mini's cheek but was slapped away before he could get close.

"Ha ha, very funny," Mini drawled, but felt some of the weight on his chest lift. He felt a little better now that he knew his reasoning behind his secrecy, but there were still a few things that needed to be aired out. "As flattered as I am that you're trying to keep us safe, I don't get why you won't let us help you two in the first place."

Tyler frowned. "Because it's too dangerous."

"Yeah, I know that. But Brock and I aren't kids, we can handle whatever it is you two are planning. I can handle it. Let me help you."

"No. Absolutely not."

"Well why the fuck not?!"

"Because you could get arrested or  _shot_ , Craig," Tyler said sternly, dropping his nickname and adopting his real one, something he only did in serious situations.

"Oh, but it's okay for you and Evan to risk getting arrested or shot then?! Brock and I have to sit around here worried sick about you, and hope you two don't come home in a bodybag while meanwhile, you two willingly throw yourselves in front of fucking bullets?!" Mini hissed. "Speaking of which, what the fuck are you two even doing anyway that warrants getting shot at in the first place?!"

"It's not important-"

"If it could potentially get you  _fucking killed_ , then it's pretty fucking important, Tyler!"

"Ssssh! Keep your voice down!" Tyler hissed, eyeing one of the bedroom doors. "They're trying to fucking sleep in there. Christ." Mini glared at him and tightened his lips, but he knew he was right. He couldn't shout too loudly at him or he'd risk waking their friends, and it was a wonder that they hadn't woken them with their raised voices already.

"...Listen. I'll talk to Evan tomorrow about maybe letting you come along, but he's never going to agree to it," Tyler gave in, though Mini had a feeling he only agreed because he was sick of fighting with him. "Evan doesn't want to do this  _at all_ , but we really need the money and petty theft isn't cutting it any more. He doesn't even want me to help, nevermind anybody else, but he knows he can't do this shit alone. I'll talk to him, but I make no promises that he'll let you."

Mini nodded in understanding. "Alright. Okay. That seems fair," he said, sitting back down on the bed, unsure as to what point in their argument he stood up. "It's just... I'd feel a lot better about this if I was there too, y'know? Like... I don't know if I could live with myself if something really fucking bad happened to you- and Evan, you and Evan, and I wasn't there to stop it..." Mini admitted, unable to look him in the eye.

He never was that comfortable with talking about his feelings. He found it easier to talk to Tyler than anyone else, and had shared much more heartfelt sentiments with him before. But this time, the words struggled to come out and his heart twisted, and he felt like he was revealing too much. He felt like he was confessing something he wasn't quite ready to admit, and Mini wasn't quite sure why.

Tyler smiled at him faintly and the fluttering in his stomach returned, and a hand was placed on his shoulder. "I know how you feel, buddy. This is precisely why I don't want you to come along. I just don't want you to get hurt..." he confessed, and it was his turn to break eye contact and he looked to the animated screen.

"I don't want you to get hurt either..." Mini said quietly, expression softening.

"I won't."

"You don't-"

" _I won't_ ," Tyler repeated with a sharpness in his voice, causing Mini to look back up at him. Tyler stared directly into his eyes with a defiant look of determination that caught him by surprise. "I'll be fine, Mini. I promise."

Mini wanted to argue with him, and tell him there was no way he could promise him that, but didn't. He was sick and tired of arguing, and there was something about the way he was looking at him that made him think that he could keep that promise. He didn't know how he would do that, but still felt reassured that Tyler would find a way somehow, even if it meant willing the bullets away with his mind.

Tyler grinned at him when Mini nodded in acceptance, and tried to ruffle his hair but was once again slapped away. "Alright, that's enough pansy talk for one night. What do you say we get back to shooting nazi zombies like real men?" he smiled.

Mini turned back to face the TV and picked up the previously forgotten controller. "Bet you five bucks I can survive longer than you."

"You? Beat me?" Tyler scoffed, hopping over the arm of the couch to settle back down in the bed next to Mini. "I'd like to see you fucking try! You're on."

While he searched for a new lobby after getting kicked from the last one for being AFK, Mini couldn't help but smile. His chest felt lighter and his heart was no longer constricted by worry and hurt. He knew that feeling of weightlessness wouldn't last long, and as soon as he is told the intricate details of the dangerous mission he had just volunteered himself for, stress and fear and apprehension would creep back in.

But for now, he was content. Even if he didn't find out everything he wanted to, Mini was satisfied with what they did discuss. For now, he pushed all thoughts and worries about the future to the back of his mind and settled back into his comfortable bedding. All he wanted to do right now was play video games with his best friend at his side and let all of their problems fade into the background.

For now, he was happy, and Mini wanted to cherish that while he still could.

\----

It couldn't have been any later than four in the morning when Mini was harshly awoken by the apartment door closing. Panic hit him immediately as he jumped to the conclusion that someone must have broken in. Mini lay still and attempted to keep his breathing steady, pretending to be asleep while he tried to figure out what the fuck he should do.

Any and all plans of his were promptly thrown out the window when he heard them speak.

"That went surprisingly well," Evan said in a hushed voice, and Mini silently wondered when he left the flat. He didn't move and kept up the facade that he was still sleeping, choosing instead to listen in on his conversation as his tired mind tried to figure out what was happening.

"Well, the plan was pretty foolproof," Tyler responded, and Mini frowned. Didn't he say he would ask Evan if he could help them before they put their secret plan into action?

"Yeah, I'm really glad I came up with it," Evan said, and Mini swears he could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Hey, I came up with it, asshole!" Tyler snapped to which Evan let out a muffled chuckle.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure you only would have come up with it if it failed."

"Oh fuck you," Tyler spat and Evan chuckled again.

Mini barely registered the sound of Evan's footsteps heading towards his shared bedroom with Brock as the cogs in his mind turned. Tyler had just claimed that he came up with their secret plan, but earlier had explicitly told him that Evan was the mastermind behind everything. Not only that, but he promised him that he'd talk to Evan about letting him help out, something he clearly hasn't done.

Tyler lied to him. Tyler lied to his face without so much as a second thought. Either that, or there was another scheme kept secret between them, and there was something else his best friend was hiding from him. Either way, Mini felt sick to his stomach and his fingers clenched tight around his blankets.

Another set of footsteps broke the dead air in the room, and Mini was aware of a shadow being cast over him. He made an even greater effort than before to keep his body still and to take slow steady breaths, now that he knew Tyler was looking down at him. He heard him let out a forlorn sigh.

"I'm sorry, Mini," Tyler whispered, and he felt cold fingers lightly caress his cheek. Not even a moment later, the shadow disappeared and he heard his footsteps tiptoe away, followed by the soft click of Tyler's bedroom door closing.

Mini was once again left alone in the empty silent living room with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. He pulled his knees closer to his chest, almost curling into a ball and his mind was racing. There was no way he could fall back asleep; not now when he knew that Tyler had betrayed him.


	2. Ignorance is Bliss

Mini felt awful, absolutely awful. He got little to no sleep after Tyler and Evan came home from their late night excursion, and was struggling to stay awake at the breakfast table. His eyelids felt heavy and he halfheartedly poked at the pancakes Tyler had made them for breakfast, just like he did every other morning. Mini wanted to enjoy them, but all he could think about was how they were made by the person who lied to him, his so-called best friend who was completely shutting him out, and the pancakes tasted bitter on his tongue.

Mini let out a yawn for the umpteenth time that morning, and continued to force himself to eat his breakfast. He couldn't skip out on the meal no matter how much his sick stomach wanted him to. He had to swallow them down so that the others wouldn't think that anything was wrong, and wouldn't realise that he had heard them come home last night. He didn't want them to know that he knew what they had done.

He wasn't the only one keeping up appearances however, as both Tyler and Evan were continuing on as normal as well. Tyler still made them all pancakes even if he did look a little worse for wear, claiming he was a little hungover from the beers he shared with Mini the night before, and Evan had the gall to wake up as fresh as a daisy, almost as if he had slept the whole night uninterrupted. 

Mini hated that they were acting as if they had done nothing, as if they hadn't gone out behind his back last night, but he kept his mouth shut. He put a lot of thought into this while he laid awake in bed and decided to let them be. He wasn't going to ask them anymore questions, and wasn't going to beg Tyler to let him help any longer. If they wanted to do this on their own then so be it. They'd made it more than clear that nothing he was going to say or do would change their minds, and he had no other choice but to let them make their own mistakes. He just hoped they would stop whatever they were doing before one of them got arrested or seriously injured - or worse.

With a clatter of plates, Evan dumped his dishes into the sink and turned to face everyone at the table. "I'm going to the gym, anybody want to come?" he asked politely, looking pointedly at Tyler and nobody else, giving Mini the impression that despite his question, nobody else was invited.

"Nah, I'm good," Brock answered and continued to chomp down his breakfast, not seeming to realise that the question wasn't directed at them.

"You guys go ahead," Mini added as Tyler stood to put his plates in the sink as well in a silent agreement to Evan's request.

"Your loss," he shrugged and went to the bedrooms to retrieve his and Tyler's gym bags.

As he left the room, Tyler approached Mini from behind and laid a tentative hand on his shoulder. "I talked to Evan about you-know-what," he whispered, leaning in close to his ear so that Brock wouldn't hear what they were saying. "And he said 'no'. I tried to argue with him, but he was really against it. Sorry, buddy."

The lies flowed from his mouth as easy as stating the weather, and Mini felt his heart drop into his stomach. He clenched his jaw and bit his tongue to prevent himself from snapping at Tyler for lying to him  _again_ , and merely nodded his head in understanding, not trusting himself to speak.

This seemed to be enough for Tyler and he patted him on the shoulder apologetically before making his way to the front door when Evan came back. He took the gym bag from him and glanced back at Mini before he left, and he almost looked guilty. Almost.

The second the door shut behind them, Mini stood up and dumped the rest of his pancakes into the bin. He couldn't force himself to eat them any longer, not that he wanted to to begin with, and threw all of his dishes into the sink. Brock was watching him confused and concerned, and Mini shook his head, silently letting him know that he didn't want to talk about it. He dropped onto his sofabed that hadn't been folded away yet and grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV, determined to find something to distract himself with.

He didn't want to think about this anymore. He didn't want to think about their lies, their secret plans, or Tyler's stupid face any longer. Right now, Mini desperately wanted to forget everything he knew and wished he was still oblivious to everything that was going on, just like Brock. 

Tyler was right. He was better off not knowing.

\----

Days had passed since he was first woken up by Tyler and Evan coming home in the middle of the night, something that continued to occur every night since then. Every night at four thirty AM like clockwork, they'd both come home from whatever they were doing, wish each other goodnight, and then head off to bed. Neither of them would mention anything in the morning or give him or Brock any reason to believe that they had slipped out of the apartment in the early hours of the morning. 

Tyler never brought up the secret plan again, and Mini never asked him about it. Even when Evan and Brock had stumbled off to bed and the two of them were left playing XBox alone in the living room, neither of them dared bring it up. It became one of those things that they just never talked about; an elephant in the room that they refused to acknowledge.

Mini was quite happy to leave it that way. Even though curiosity was constantly niggling at him and he so desperately wanted to know what they were doing, he let it be swept under the rug. It was preferable to getting into another argument with Tyler, as far as he was concerned. Maybe fighting with him and talking things out might make him feel better, but he wasn't ready to do that just yet, not when he still hurt from Tyler lying to him that first night.

But no matter how hard Mini tried to run from his problems, or how careful Evan and Tyler were about keeping things secret, everything had to crash and burn eventually. It was only a matter of time.

Mini barely registered Brock entering the living room as his fingers mashed buttons on the controller, only looking up when he came to a standstill in the middle of the room. Brock was staring off into space with an expression of sadness and disbelief, almost as if he had just watched his worst enemy kick a puppy. His shoulders were slumped, and his lips were tugged down into a harsh frown.

"Brock?" Mini voiced but gained no response. "Brock? Are you okay?" he questioned further, beginning to get concerned for his friend.

Brock seemed to snap out of whatever daze he was in and turned to face him, seemingly not noticing his presence until that moment, and Mini was definitely worried now. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's just..." he trailed off, squirming nervously and casting his eyes downwards. "...I found something."

"You found something...?" Mini asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.

"Yeah. I was looking for my sunglasses in me and Evan's room and I opened his gym bag thinking maybe he grabbed mine by accident, and I found a..." He took a deep breath and then shook his head. "Actually, it might be easier to show you."

Mini's curiosity rose and he put down the controller, barely remembering to pause the game first. He wondered what on earth Brock could have found that would shake him up this much as he got up and followed him into the bedroom, and it wasn't until then that it clicked where he found it in the first place.

Evan's gym bag. The bag he had kept a watchful eye over for days now. The bag he took with him almost everywhere he went, and the very bag Mini heard that strange rattle from days ago. He had completely forgotten about that until now. Did Brock accidentally stumble upon the source of that odd metallic noise?

The second Mini entered the room, Brock tossed something to him and he just about managed to catch it before it hit him in the face. Mini played around with the rubber item in his hands for a moment as he tried to figure out what it was, realization hitting him full force once he found the face. The dead eyes of the owl mask stared blankly up at him, and picturing Evan wearing it and looking at him with that same hollow expression made him feel uneasy.

"It's a mask," Mini stated the obvious. "Why the fuck would he have a mask? It's not even close to Halloween." 

"It gets worse," Brock replied and reluctantly fished something else out of the bag, something that caused Mini to drop what he was holding.

His mind was racing as he watched Brock ever so carefully and delicately handle the pistol, obviously afraid that he might accidentally fire it. The weapon was long and sleek and shiny, and seemed to be factory new, not a scratch or dent on it anywhere. Mini was no expert on guns, but to him it seemed like it was rarely used, if used at all, something he desperately hoped he was right about.

Evan had a gun. Evan had a fucking gun, and he might have very well fired it.

The thought of one of his best friends pointing a gun at someone made him feel sick to his stomach, and he sat himself down on the edge of the double bed, suddenly feeling light headed. He had a gun. Evan had a gun, a  _fucking gun_. He couldn't believe it. What would he need a gun for?!

"Mini?" He looked back at where Brock was hunched down on the floor and got another glance of the pistol, and it set him off again.

"Oh my God," he muttered to himself, falling back onto the bed and holding his face in his hands. "Oh my fucking God."

"So you didn't know about this?" Brock asked.

"No, I didn't know about this!" Mini exclaimed.

"And you don't know what they're using this stuff for?"

"No. I don't. I mean," Mini sighed and uncovered his face when he felt the mattress dip with Brock's weight. The gun was now absent from his hands and he assumed that he put it back where he found it. "I know they're up to something, I just don't know  _what_. I tried asking Tyler, but he told me fuck all. All I got out of him was that they could get arrested or shot. Now I know why," he explained, waving in the vague direction of where the gun was kept.

Brock nodded, twiddling his thumbs. He opened his mouth to say something only to immediately swallow his words. "What?" Mini asked.

"...I think I know what they're doing," Brock admitted, biting his lips. When Mini didn't respond, he elaborated. "There's been... On Weazel News, they've been reporting on a series of armed robberies lately. Apparently a couple of guys in animal masks have been robbing convenience stores at gunpoint. They uh... They showed some footage from the security cameras, and one of the guys wears an owl mask that looks an awful lot like the one Evan has..."

"...You don't think that him and Tyler are the ones doing it, do you?"

"I didn't... until I found the mask and the gun," Brock told him, and Mini sighed again, burying his face back into his hands. 

There really was no denying it at this point. All the evidence he needed was stuffed in a bag only a few feet in front of him. Evan and Tyler were committing armed robberies. This wasn't the first time either of them had stole anything or committed some sort of crime, and both he and Brock were guilty of that too. But brandishing a weapon and using it to threaten people was on a whole other level, one Mini didn't think they would ever stoop to. 

Apparently he was wrong, very very wrong.

"...We have to confront them about this, right?" Brock asked. "Like, I know you said that Tyler wouldn't tell you anything, but he can't really deny it anymore, can he? The evidence is pretty damning."

"Yeah, I suppose we should," Mini nodded in agreement as he sat up on the bed next to Brock. "They usually come home at about four in the morning. We'll do it then and catch them in the act."

Brock nodded, and looked back down at his hands, still twiddling his thumbs. There was still something else on his mind. "I think... I think the part that scares me the most about this whole thing is that I'm not mad at them for doing it."

That caught Mini by surprise. "You're not?"

Brock shook his head. "No. I mean, we  _do_  need the money, and it only makes sense to go a step further than what we were doing already to get it. It's kinda like getting promoted, y'know?" he said, and then let out a small nervous chuckle. "God, that is some fucked up logic."

"Yeah it is, buddy," Mini agreed, clapping his shoulder. "And I get what you mean, I just wish they had told us about it."

He still wasn't over the fact that Tyler had lied to him, especially now that he knew what he was doing. Although, he did have to admit that he understood his reasoning a lot better. If the two of them were to get arrested, then he and Brock could be questioned by the police and viewed as accomplices. Not to mention the fact that if they were firing guns, then the police would likely be shooting back at them, meaning any one of them could get shot at any moment. They were just trying to protect them by keeping them out of the line of fire.

That didn't mean he appreciated his best friend keeping something this big from him however, especially if the money he stole was being used to pay for their rent and other necessities. He had a right to know how all of that was getting paid for, and Tyler should have told him. He may have understood his reasoning, but that didn't mean he agreed to his actions.

"Yeah, I do too, but we know now, and we'll all talk it out later, and then everything can go back to normal," Brock said with a smile that seemed a little forced, and patted him reassuringly on the knee.

"Yeah," Mini breathed, unconvinced. "I hope so."

\----

"Didn't you say they'd be here at four?" Brock called from the kitchen and reappeared from behind the fridge door with an energy drink in hand. It was currently four forty-five in the morning, and Mini and Brock were trying their best to keep themselves awake long enough to greet Evan and Tyler when they came home. They'd only had maybe three hours of sleep between them before Mini's alarm woke them up, and it was getting harder and harder to fight the temptation to go back to bed.

"Yeah, around then," Mini yawned, struggling to keep his heavy eyelids open. "They've never been this late before, so they should be home soon."

"I wonder what's keeping them," Brock commented as he took a sip of his energy drink. That was the second can he cracked open in the past hour, and Mini could tell from the way he was lightly bouncing on the spot that the caffeine had already kicked in. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep tonight.

"Are you sure you should be drinking-"

Before Mini could finish his sentence, the front door was thrown open, and their attention snapped to the two figures stumbling into the room. The shorter of the two was wearing an all too familiar owl mask, and was doing his best to support the much lankier man in the pig mask who couldn't seem to walk on his own. The latter's hoodie was removed, and was instead scrunched up into a ball and held tightly to his side.

"Mini, move!" Evan barked at him as he half-dragged who he assumed to be Tyler into the room. Mini scrambled back onto the other side of the sofabed, watching in confused silence as Evan carefully laid Tyler down next to him. As he was lowered, Tyler let out a sharp hiss, and Mini was glad he was wearing a mask so he couldn't see his pained expression. 

"...What's going on?" Brock asked gingerly, but his question went ignored. Instead of answering him, Evan instead knelt down next to Tyler and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. He then reached for the scrunched up hoodie and carefully removed it from his side and dropped it onto the floor.

Mini's face paled and his heart dropped. It wasn't until then that he noticed Tyler's previously white undershirt was stained a deep scarlet. Suddenly, he felt sick. 

"Brock, go get the first aid kit," Evan ordered calmly and Brock immediately scampered off into the bathroom to do as he was told. While he waited, Evan gently peeled Tyler's shirt off of him to expose the open wound, causing him to hiss as the sticky fabric tugged at his raw skin. Mini couldn't get a good look at the wound from the angle he was sitting in, but could tell that it was wide enough to need stitches.

"Shouldn't we take him to the hospital?!" he exclaimed in a panicked tone.

"No, they'll be expecting that," Evan replied and pressed the hoodie back onto the wound to keep pressure applied to it.

"Who?!"

"The cops."

Before Mini could question him further, Brock returned with the green first aid kit in hand. "Shouldn't we clean the wound first?" he asked, staring worriedly down at the gash in Tyler's side.

Evan quietly swore under his breath when he realised he forgot that step, and stood up. "You're right. Help me carry him into the bathroom."

"Are you fucking serious?!" Tyler snapped, speaking for the first time since they had arrived, though Mini was just relieved to know he was conscious. "Couldn't you fucks have done that BEFORE you put me on Craig's bed?! Don't fucking move me, I'm staying right here."

A mini staring contest played out between them, but it was difficult to tell what either of them were thinking on account of the masks. Evan was the first to give in, and he nodded and turned to head into the kitchen. "Keep pressure on that wound, Mini."

Mini awkwardly leaned over the top of Tyler to grab hold of the hoodie and gently pressed down, worried that he might hurt him further. He almost jumped in surprise when he felt a hand lightly grip his wrist, and he looked towards Tyler only to be met with the blank expression of the pig mask. Mini wanted nothing more in that moment than to rip that fucking mask off of his face so he could look him in the eye properly and see what he was really feeling, but didn't.

A moment later, Evan returned with a basin filled with warm soapy water which he set down next to the bed, and then knelt down next to it. He waved Mini's hands away and he took that as his cue to gently remove the hoodie from the wound. Even though he had pulled away entirely now, Tyler still kept a firm hold of his wrist.

Evan dipped a clean sponge into the basin and squeezed out some of the excess water before lightly dabbing at and around Tyler's injury. The sudden contact to this sensitive area caused Tyler to wince, and Mini felt the grip on his wrist tighten. He pulled himself out of his hold for a moment and readjusted them so that he was holding onto his hand instead, hoping this would provide him with more reassurance.

Mini had never held Tyler's hand before. In spite of the circumstances, it was... kind of nice.

As Evan continued to clean Tyler's wound, Brock finally sat down next to him on the floor and opened the first aid kit. He pulled out some clean bandages and set them by Tyler's thigh to be used later, before rummaging through the different creams and powders, trying to decide which would be the best to use right now.

"Do you have any tweezers in there?" Evan asked, and Brock handed him his desired tool. He put the sponge back into the basin as he talked to Tyler. "I don't know for sure since I've never done this before, but I imagine this is going to hurt, so brace yourself."

"Can you  _not_  preface whatever you're about to do to me by telling me you've never done it before? Please?" Tyler begged, and tightened his grip on Mini's hand ever so slightly in anticipation of what was about to happen.

"Sorry," he apologised, and Mini was certain he was smirking behind that mask. "Now hold still, or this is going to be way worse than it needs to be."

With that, Evan lightly placed one hand on Tyler's hip to keep him steady, the other tightly gripping the pair of tweezers. Mini turned his head, not wanting to watch Evan use those on him. Tyler let out a pained whine and tightened his vice like grip on Mini's hand as Evan did his thing. Tyler squeezed his hand so tightly that he felt like his fingers were being crushed, but he kept his mouth shut. Tyler was experiencing unimaginable pain right now, so Mini had no right to complain about a few sore digits.

"Got it!" Evan exclaimed, and Mini looked back when he felt Tyler's grip loosen. The poor guy was breathing heavy, staggered breaths as he tried to calm himself down, and Mini gave his hand a small squeeze to let him know that everything was okay.

Except it wasn't.

"Is that a bullet?!" Brock exclaimed with wide eyes as he eyed the small silver pellet that Evan had extracted from the wound and placed into a tissue he pulled out of his pocket.

"What?!" Mini exclaimed, equally surprised, unconsciously tightening his own grip on Tyler's hand.

"Yeah. Tyler got shot by the police."

" _WHAT?_!"

"Mini, it's okay," Tyler tried to reassure him, but his voice was too shaky and his breathing too ragged to be convincing.

"'It's okay'?! You got  _shot_ , Tyler! In what universe is that considered to be even remotely okay?! You could've died!"

"I didn't though."

" _You still could've died._ "

"Yeah, but I didn't though. I'm fine, Mini, really."

"Well, relatively speaking," Evan piped up as he rinsed out the sponge and started cleaning his wound out again. "One of us still needs to give you stitches somehow."

" _Oh fuck_ ," Tyler muttered under his breath.

"I could do it," Brock volunteered. "I took Home Ec. in high school, so I know how to sew. Just give me some time to watch some YouTube tutorials and I'll give it a shot."

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me..." Tyler muttered again.

Evan nodded to Brock and handed him his phone so he could quickly watch a few videos. "Well, would you rather I do it?" Evan asked Tyler. "Keep in mind I've never picked up a needle and thread in my life."

"No," Tyler huffed. "Let Brock do it."

"That's what I thought."

For the next few minutes, the room descended into a comfortable silence. Evan continued to thoroughly clean the wound and wipe away the blood that was staining Tyler's skin. Brock was enthralled in the YouTube tutorials, absentmindedly copying what he was watching with his free hand. Tyler stared up at the ceiling, taking deep calming breaths as Mini rubbed what he hoped to be soothing circles onto the back of his hand, silently wondering if there was more he could be doing to help.

After a while, Evan dropped the sponge into the basin and dusted his hands off, claiming his work was done. He quickly got up and disappeared into the bathroom, reemerging a moment later with a glass of water and a couple of painkillers. "Here, take these."

"Those aren't going to kick in before Brock starts stitching me up, Evan," Tyler pointed out.

"I know, but I'd still rather you take them before he started."

Sighing, Tyler tried to sit up only to wince in pain as he moved. "Here, let me help you, big guy," Mini offered, letting go of his hand to wrap his arm around his waist instead and hoisted him up. With his other hand, Mini grabbed the hoodie and held it against the wound again, just in case it started bleeding more now that he was putting some strain on it.

Tyler took the pills from Evan's hand and swallowed them, immediately chasing them down with the water. While he was in this position, he took the opportunity to remove his bloodied shirt and tossed it over the edge of the sofabed. Once he was adequately drugged up, Mini helped him lie back down again. He removed the hoodie from the wound, exposing it to the cool air of the room once more, and Tyler intertwined their fingers again the second his hand was free.

Mini could tell Evan was watching this, but if he thought anything of it, he didn't say anything. Mini didn't think there was anything to say anyway. Tyler was just looking for a small source of comfort, and his hand just so happened to be the one that was closest. That's all it was. There was nothing more to it.

"I think I'm ready now," Brock announced, handing the phone back to Evan. 

Again, Mini felt the grip on his hand tighten ever so slightly in anticipation of what was to come. Brock dug through the first aid kit and pulled out some antiseptic cream, first rubbing that onto the wound. Tyler hissed at the stinging sensation that shot up his body, and Mini rubbed his hand with his thumb to reassure him.

Next, Brock produced a needle and black thread from the kit, easily slipping it through the eye with practiced hands. "Okay, I'm going to start now," he said. "Since we don't have any anesthesia or anything, this is probably going to hurt. A lot. So you two might have to pin him down to stop him from squirming."

Evan nodded, pushing the basin out of Brock's way with his foot before sitting on the bottom of the sofabed, grabbing Tyler's ankles to prevent him from kicking. Tyler willingly rolled onto his other side to face Mini, partly to give Brock better access to the wound, and partly so he could offer his other hand for him to hold. Mini delicately took it and gave both hands a reassuring squeeze, before pining them both to the mattress. 

Mini never took his eyes off Tyler's mask the entire time Brock was stitching him up. Even if he couldn't see Tyler's expressions (and judging by the pained noises he was making, Mini didn't want to see them anyway), Tyler could still see his face and he thought that might help, might give him something else to focus on. He whispered quiet reassurances to him, telling him how well he was doing and promising it would all be over soon.

All night, Mini felt like he wasn't doing enough for Tyler. Evan was the one who cleaned him up, got him the medication, and led the charge for treating his wound, and now Brock was the one stitching him up. All Mini did all night was sit by him and hold his hand. He felt completely useless. 

If talking him through this and allowing him to squeeze his hands was helping, then Mini was more than willing to do it, in spite of the voice in the back of his head telling him to run, that this was something far too intimate to be doing with his best friend. If any of this helped him even in the slightest, then Mini was willing to venture as far out of his comfort zone as Tyler needed him to. 

Finally, Brock sat back to admire his handiwork now that Tyler was all stitched and bandaged up. "Done!" he exclaimed happily, seemingly proud of himself.

"Is that it? Are we done?" Tyler asked, hope evident in his hoarse voice.

"Yeah, that's it. We're done," Brock confirmed, and they all let out a collective sigh of relief. "Just be really careful when you're moving and shit in case you pull out the stitches and I have to put them in again. I don't think that's something either of us want to happen."

"God no," Tyler agreed and finally let go of Mini's hands much to his disappointment, an emotion Mini quickly shoved to the back of his mind, and rolled onto his back. "I never want to go through this shit again."

"And you won't," Evan said in a definitive tone as he picked up the basin and carried it to the kitchen sink. "If we ever do this again, I'm making sure we all have bullet proof vests. Nobody is getting shot again, not on my watch."

"Thanks Dad," Tyler scoffed, and Evan flipped him off. Tyler finally took his mask off and discarded it next to the sofabed to put away later. His face was covered in sweat after wearing it for so long, and his eyes were shut tight. He seemed to be exhausted, and Mini didn't blame him. He was tired too.

"So you might do this again?" Brock asked hesitantly as he packed away everything back into the first aid kit, and Mini's head snapped up at the question.

"Yeah, you're not seriously thinking about doing more of this shit after Tyler got  _fucking shot_?!"

Evan froze for a moment, shoulders tensing. "...Maybe. I don't know. We'll talk about it," he replied and came back into the living room. "Later, when it isn't the early hours of the morning. Right now, Tyler needs to get some rest, and I have some unfinished business to take of."

"What kind of business?" Mini asked skeptically.

Evan hesitated in answering, before deciding that after everything that happened, he should start telling him the truth. "We stole a car to use as a getaway vehicle and it's parked just down the street. I need to get rid of it before the cops find it, and by extension, us."

"I'll go with you," Brock offered, standing up to set the first aid kit down on the kitchen counter.

"No, it's fine. I can do it myself and we really don't need any more injuries tonight."

"That's why I want to come. There's safety in numbers, right?" Brock pointed out and picked up Tyler's mask and bloodied hoodie off the floor. "I could just pretend to be Tyler. The police won't be expecting to see the pig up and about after they shot him. It might scare them a little."

Evan sighed, too tired and to fed up to argue with him. "Fine, you can come, but stick close to me, okay? I really don't need you running off and getting yourself shot or arrested."

Brock grinned way too widely for someone who just offered to put themselves in harm's way and pulled the mask over his head as he followed Evan out of the apartment. The front door shut with an audible click, and Mini and Tyler were left alone in the silence of the living room.

"...So how are you feeling?" Mini asked him to break the quiet.

"I've been better," Tyler replied, looking up at him and Mini's breath hitched when their eyes connected. Spending the entire night looking into the blank, plastic eyes of the pig mask made him really appreciate just how blue and emotive Tyler's eyes really were. "I uh... I suppose I owe you an explanation, huh?" Tyler chuckled nervously.

Mini smiled and waved it off. "Nah, it's fine," he told him and Tyler's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Brock already figured out what you two were up to. It's why we were both awake when you two came in. We wanted to catch you in the act."

Tyler chuckled in relief. "So Brock isn't as oblivious as he looks, huh?"

"I guess not," Mini chuckled along with him. "Apparently he's the smartest one here."

"The bar is low, Mini, the bar is low," Tyler joked, and Mini was glad that he still retained his sense of humor in spite of everything that happened. 

Mini wanted to joke around with him, but his eyes kept darting down to the bandages on his side. Tyler almost died today. Tyler  _would have_  died today, if Evan hadn't have got him home in time. His mind kept drifting to the 'what if?' no matter how hard he tried not to think like that, and he kept imagining a scenario where he didn't make it. His heart twisted and his stomach churned at the thought, but Tyler didn't seem to notice his distress. There was something else on his mind.

"...I'm sorry, Mini," he said softly. "I shouldn't have fucking lied to you about all this, but I didn't have a choice. I had to, otherwise you could've been the one lying here with all the stitches and bandages and shit. I wouldn't have lied to you if I didn't have to, Mini, and I swear on my own grave that I'll tell you about everything I do from now on. No more secrets, no more lies. I promise."

Mini smiled in spite of himself, and was tempted to reach out and grab Tyler's hand again, but those moments had passed. "It's fine, Tyler. I get it. I just wished you would have told me, because then maybe I could've gone and you wouldn't have-"

" _Don't,_ " Tyler silenced him sharply. "Don't you dare fucking blame yourself for this, Craig. This isn't your fault, and there was nothing you could have done to stop it. It was a shitty thing that was destined to happen either way, but I'm okay, and I'll be back to normal before you know it. Alright?"

"Alright," Mini nodded with a small smile.

"So we're cool?" Tyler asked hopeful.

"Yeah, we're cool."

"Good," Tyler yawned and closed his eyes. "Maybe now I can finally get some sleep."

"Yeah, me too," Mini agreed and moved to get off the sofabed to let him rest in peace, but was stopped by a hand shooting out to grab his wrist.

"Don't. Stay," Tyler mumbled, and Mini blinked at him in surprise. Was Tyler seriously suggesting that they should share his bed for the night? "Just sleep here. It's your bed anyway."

"...Are you sure? Because I could just sleep in your bed, it's not a problem."

"Yeah, stay," Tyler mumbled again and halfheartedly tugged at his wrist in his half conscious state.

Too tired to argue, Mini allowed Tyler to pull him down onto the bed, but made sure there was a reasonable amount of distance between them. He reluctantly pulled his wrist out of his grip, before climbing under the covers, throwing the duvet and blankets over Tyler's now sleeping form as well. 

Even though they were a good foot away from each other, Mini could still feel the heat radiating from Tyler's body, and for once, he allowed himself to revel in how nice it feels to have him be so close. Any other night, he would have put up more of a fight, and made more of an effort to insist that he sleep elsewhere. 

But tonight, he almost lost Tyler. His best friend almost died, almost left him, and having his warm sleeping body be so close reassured him that he was okay. Having Tyler close enough that he could reach out and touch him reassured him that he was still alive, and Mini really needed that reassurance right now.

Mini glanced at Tyler's still hand, and was once again tempted to reach over and hold it and feel his pulse beat against his wrist. Instead, he clenched his own hand into a fist and rolled over to his side to face the wall. He took a deep breath to clam his heart, before shutting his eyes and willing his body to go to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter ended with Mini sleeping in Tyler's bed, but I like this cliché bed sharing ending a lot more. 
> 
> Anyway, this is all I have written so far, and hopefully I'll finish the next chapter reasonably soon. No promises though, as I have tests and assignments coming up that take priority, but I'll do my best <3


	3. Ammunation

The first thing Mini heard when he started to wake up was the sound of someone chomping on something hard and crunchy a foot away from where he slept. As he drifted further into consciousness, he became aware of the sound of the TV in the background playing what sounded like the news, and the distant voices of Evan and Brock chit chatting in the kitchen.

Letting out a small groan, Mini rolled onto his back and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, squinting in the harsh light. “Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Tyler chimed, and Mini glanced up at him just in time to see him swallow a spoonful of cereal. Tyler was propped up in the sofabed next to him, still shirtless and resting after yesterday’s events. A shirtless Tyler was a common occurrence in their household, but that didn't mean he appreciated the view any less. “Or should I say, ‘good afternoon’?”

Mini blindly patted at the floor as he searched for his glasses, and quickly slipped them on as soon as he found them. “Why? What time is it?” he asked groggily, sitting up and stretching out his back and arms.

“I dunno, around three?” Tyler replied and took another bite of his breakfast.

“Don’t worry, we’re not up that long before you,” Evan smiled at him as he approached the end of the sofabed, two mugs of coffee in hand. He wordlessly offered one to Mini, who graciously accepted it with a grateful smile, enjoying the feeling of the warm mug against his cold fingers. 

Without thinking about it, Mini took a sip of the coffee only to wince when the bitter liquid hit his tongue, and immediately forced himself to swallow it down, the hot drink burning his throat. “Oh God, did you not put  _anything_  in this?” he cringed, only then looking into the mug to see that Evan did indeed hand him black coffee.

“I don’t know how you like it, I’m not your wife,” Evan chuckled with a shrug, moving back into the kitchen to take a seat at the table across from the giggling Brock. “Besides, it’s a lot funnier to watch you drink something you don’t like than to watch you drink something you do,” he smirked.

“It’s your own fault for not looking first, dumbass,” Tyler added and Mini glared at both of them as he clambered out of bed. He wasn’t mad at either of them, and knew they were only teasing, which he really didn't mind, especially now. It was a good feeling knowing that after everything that happened recently, they were all still capable of joking around with each other as usual. It was almost as if the previous night’s events brought them closer together.

Mini edged past Brock’s chair as he made his way into the main kitchen area to look for milk and sugar or something else equally sweet that he could add to his coffee to make it taste less bitter. As he rifled through the fridge and the cupboards looking for his desired sweeteners and maybe something to eat for breakfast too, Evan spoke up.

“Now that Mini is awake, we should probably talk about last night,” he said and sipped his own drink.

Mini groaned. “Can’t you wait until I've had breakfast first?”

“You can listen and eat at the same time, can’t you?” Evan asked, raising an eyebrow. Mini sighed and nodded, and waved for him to continue. While he would have preferred to have something in his stomach before they all sat down and had a serious conversation, he wanted to get it over and done with as well. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.

“Well, after you two fell asleep last night, Brock told me that he found my mask and my gun, and that you both put two and two together and figured out we were the ones behind the recent armed robberies, right?” he asked, and they nodded in confirmation. “Right, so there’s no need to go through that then. What we do need to discuss is whether or not we’re going to keep robbing stores, and whether or not Brock and Mini are going to start coming with us now that the cat’s out of the bag.”

“This feels like you’re trying to conduct a business meeting right now,” Tyler commented from the other side of the room where he still lay on Mini’s sofabed, likely not wanting to move out of fear of pulling out his stitches.

“Would you like me to take the minutes, Mr. Fong?” Brock joked, playing along.

“No, it’s fine, Brock, thank you,” Evan said, rolling his eyes at his antics but still smiling affectionately. “But really, guys, we need to be serious. Tell me what you think. I want to know what you guys think we should do.”

“Well what do you think we should do?” Mini asked, turning his own question back on him as he spooned some artificial sugar into his mug. 

“Well... you’re probably not going to like this,” Evan chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I think we should continue this crime streak we’ve got going on.”

“You’re right. I don’t like this,” Mini stated bluntly. “Why the hell would you want to rob more stores after Tyler got shot last night?” he asked, glancing over to his friend on the sofabed briefly before turning back to the coffee he was stirring.

“Short answer? Money.”

Mini turned away from the counter and faced the boys at the table. “Is the money really worth the risk though? Like how much are you getting anyway that makes...  _that_  worth it,” he asked, waving in the vague direction of Tyler as he took a sip of his newly sweetened drink. Surely their lives were more important than any sum of money they could potentially pull out of a cash register. 

“It varies from store to store, but we can usually rake in at least eight hundred, sometimes up to a grand per store,” Evan replied with a sly smirk. 

Mini almost choked on his coffee in surprise. That was a lot of money, more than he’s seen in years. Assuming his math was correct, then that would mean Evan and Tyler have already brought home around four thousand dollars over the course of the past few nights. That was more than enough to pay this month’s bills, and the next two months’ bills on top of that. For the next three months, they were set and wouldn't need to steal a thing, a prospect Mini really liked the sound of.

“Really? That much?!” Brock exclaimed, eyes wide as dinner plates.

Evan nodded. “Yep. We already have enough to cover our expenses for the next few weeks. If we keep this up, we can not only afford to pay rent and shit, but we can earn ourselves a little pocket money too, and eventually buy ourselves something real nice.”

“Like a second Xbox controller?” Brock offered.

“Or gas, so I can actually drive my fucking truck,” Tyler added, eyebrows suddenly raising when he thought of something better. “Actually, fuck the truck. I’m going to buy myself a fucking sweet car, like a  _really fucking sweet_  car - one that costs more than this entire fucking building!” Tyler grinned, and Mini swore his eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“Maybe we can get some single beds in here so Evan and I don’t have to share a double anymore- no offense,” Brock said, smiling sheepishly at Evan when he realised that could be taken the wrong way.

“None taken,” Evan smiled back. “I was actually thinking of taking it a step further and investing in a penthouse uptown, one with a nice view. It would be nice to finally move out of Tyler’s shitty apartment and into one I actually want to live in.”

“Hey!” Tyler exclaimed, offended. “You didn't seem to think that my apartment was shitty when you were practically fucking begging me to let you fuckboys live here a couple months ago!"

“It was either that, or live in a dumpster somewhere. That was still one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.”

“Oh fuck you!”

“What about you, Mini?” Brock asked, ending their playful bickering before it got too far off topic, and brought him back into the conversation. “What are you going to do with your portion of the money?”

Mini sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Everything they were suggesting was very tempting. They’d been trying to get to the point where they were financially secure for a long time now, and it seems Evan and Tyler had finally found a way to do that. But Mini still wasn't convinced it was worth the risk. Tyler almost  _died_  yesterday. No amount of money was worth losing him, or anyone else for that matter. He would rather be broke than risk losing one of his closest friends.

“Look,” Mini began and took a deep breath. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“You don’t?” Tyler asked, seemingly shocked by this.

“You do? You actually think a couple of grand is worth getting shot over?” Mini asked surprised. Considering Tyler was the one who got shot in the first place, he half expected him to be on his side. 

Tyler shrugged. “It was a fluke. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“Oh really? You promise? Because the last time you promised me you wouldn’t get hurt, you fucking came home three nights later drenched in your own fucking blood with a bullet lodged in your fucking side!” Mini raised his voice, flinging his hands in the air in exasperation. When he realised he almost spilled coffee on his arm, he took a quick sip of the drink and placed it on the counter out of harm’s way.

“Mini, it was a fluke! The bastard shouldn’t have hit me in the first place! It was a lucky fucking shot and there’s no way in hell-”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Evan sharply interrupted, cutting the argument short before it got any more heated. Mini frowned and pouted like a child that just got scolded by his father, and sank back against the kitchen counter. He crossed his arms and glared at Tyler, who was staring back at him with equal intensity.

Didn't he realise how dangerous this was? Obviously he had to have known considering he got shot yesterday, but Mini didn’t understand why Tyler would want to do this again. Did getting shot not hurt him enough the first time? Has he not worried Mini enough yet? Was this fancy car he was imagining really worth risking their lives for? Was this dream car of his more important to him than his friends?

Was this dream car more important to him than Mini was? Did Tyler not care about him as much as he cared about Tyler? Mini bit his lip as these questions ran through his head, and he tried his hardest to erase them from his mind. He knew deep down that this wasn't the case at all, but he couldn't help but think about the possibility, and he felt a pain in his chest.

“Let’s take it to a vote,” Evan said solemnly when he was sure everyone had calmed down, and weren't going to yell at each other any longer. “Everyone who thinks we should NOT rob any more stores, raise your hand.”

Mini’s hand shot up immediately and he kept his eyes locked on Tyler’s.

“...Okay, and everyone who thinks we  _should_  keep robbing stores, raise your hand,” Evan said, raising his own hand into the air as he spoke. Tyler copied him a second later, still not breaking the unwavering eye contact he was making with Mini.

Brock didn’t vote. “U-uh...” he stuttered when all eyes were suddenly trained on him. “Well... I don’t really know,” he admitted, chuckling nervously. “I mean, on one hand, it is really dangerous, especially if you’re getting shot at.”

“Exactly!” Mini exclaimed.

“...But on the other hand, we do need the money. I mean yeah, we have enough right now to last us for the next little while, but we are going to run out again eventually. It would be nice not to have to worry about money any more.”

“So what’s your vote?” Mini asked, sounding a little pushy. He needed Brock to take his side so the vote could at least tie. Otherwise, Tyler and Evan would have majority rule and his friends were going to get themselves killed robbing a convenience store.

“I think... I think I’d like to do it at least once, just to see what it’s like,” Brock finally decided. “Because at the moment, I’m imagining the worst, and maybe it’s not as dangerous as I see it my head.”

“We do tend to get away before the cops show up a lot of the time,” Evan pointed out.

“So it’s settled? We’re going to do another robbery?” Tyler asked, the corner of his lips tugging up ever so slightly into a barely noticeable smile.

“Yes, we’ll do one more,” Evan nodded. “But not until you've completely healed. We don’t need you opening that wound back up, and we need everyone to be in tip-top shape to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

“Fine by me. It would be nice to sleep through the whole night for a change,” Tyler replied and adjusted the position he was lying in as if to demonstrate his point.

Mini didn’t say a word, his lips tightening into a thin line. This was a bad idea. They could get themselves killed, and he seemed to be the only one genuinely worried about this. Tyler keeps saying that the cop got a lucky shot, and that he wouldn’t have got hurt otherwise, but Mini was unconvinced. Maybe he was right and the cop was lucky, but it only takes one lucky shot to end someone’s life. Maybe Tyler was the fortunate one for not getting hit anywhere vital.

Mini didn’t want anyone to come home hurt again, and he especially didn’t want to lose anyone. Sure they needed the money, but there were other, safer ways to get it. Mini didn’t have any new ideas that they haven’t already tried, but there was bound to be something. They didn't have to do this.

But the others had already made up their minds. There was nothing more he could say or do at this point that would persuade them to reconsider.

And if he couldn’t convince them to stop, then maybe he could at least take steps to ensure it would be a lot less dangerous.

Mini turned to face the sink and downed the rest of the coffee before placing the mug into the tepid dishwater. “Mini, you don’t have to come with us if you don’t want to,” Brock said, a hint of concern in his voice.

“Oh no, I’m coming. Somebody has to make sure you assholes don’t get yourselves killed,” Mini replied and edged past his seat as he left the kitchen area and headed towards the other side of the room. “Tyler, can I use your laptop for a bit?” he asked.

“Uh... yeah, sure, I guess,” Tyler replied, confused at the sudden change of topic. As Mini passed by the sofabed on his way to Tyler’s bedroom, he felt a hand grip his wrist, stopping him halfway. “Are you okay?” Tyler asked him, his words laced with worry and concern and his eyes looking him up and down.

“...I’m fine,” Mini assured him, and gently tugged himself away before continuing his journey to Tyler’s bedroom.

Once he was inside, he softly shut the door behind him before maneuvering around all the dirty clothes and magazines that littered the floor, making his way towards the desk. He plopped down on the worn desk chair and immediately booted up the slow laptop. When everything had loaded properly and seemed to be running smoothly, he opened up Google Chrome and began to research basic first aid.

If the others were going to insist on robbing stores and throwing themselves headfirst into danger, then the least he could do to keep them safe was to become the group’s medic.

Nobody was going to die on his watch. Nobody.

\----

Mini found himself standing outside an Ammunation in an unsavory part of town. There were several branches much closer to where they lived, but Evan insisted on driving them to this one on the other side of Los Santos. Apparently he knew a guy that he needed to do some ‘business’ with. Mini wasn’t sure what that meant and he wasn’t looking forward to finding out.

When he noticed that Tyler was having some trouble climbing out of the front seat of his truck, Mini lightly took his arm and helped him out, mindful of his injured side. It had been nearly a week since the incident and his wound was healing up nicely, and he hoped to remove his stitches within the next few days. He would have preferred if Tyler rested until then, but Tyler was fed up of lying around their apartment doing nothing and so forced his way into the truck before any of them could make him to stay. Mini supposed that as long as he didn’t put too much strain on it, there was no harm in him coming along.

Evan locked the doors of the truck and slung his gym bag over his shoulder, the same bag Brock had found his gun and mask in almost a week prior. He sauntered up to the main entrance but paused before he entered, turning back to face them. “Let me do all the talking, okay?” he said, before adding “And don’t call each other by your real names.” Before anyone could question this, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“What?” Mini asked, but instead of receiving an answer, was lightly pushed into the building by Tyler. 

The interior of the Ammunation was identical to every other Ammunation he’d been in. Weapons and body armour lined the walls behind the counter that curved around the entirety of the room. There were two doorways in the back left corner; one leading to the store room, the other to the shooting range in the basement. There was a security camera in every corner, blinking red light watching their every move.

Behind the counter was a single clerk; a seemingly jovial man in his late thirties who greeted them as soon as they entered. “Vanoss! Hey! I was wondering when I was going to see you again,” he said with a smile, shaking Evan’s hand as soon as he was within reach. Mini wanted to question the odd name, but didn’t say a word as per Evan’s request.

“Sorry about that, Sark. Some things came up that needed taken care of,” Evan explained, smiling back at him and gripping his hand firmly.

“No kidding. I see you and Wildcat have amassed yourselves a little posse,” Sark said, greeting Tyler with a curt nod before eyeing Mini and Brock with curiousity. “Who’s the fresh meat?”

“This is Mini, and...”

“Moo,” Brock piped up.

“Moo...?” Sark asked.

“Yeah! Moo. It’s short for... Moo... Snuckel...?”

“Moo Snuckel?” Sark repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice. “That’s a new one. I’ve met a few Mike Hunts in my day but never a Moo Snuckel.” Brock chuckled to himself in embarrassment, and Tyler clapped him on the shoulder. 

“Guys, this is Sark,” Evan introduced in the same amused tone Sark had just used, choosing to move past the little nickname fiasco entirely as to save Brock any further embarrassment. “He’s something of an... investor in our little ‘business’.”

“And by that he means I give you guys free weapons and ammo in exchange for a small cut of the profits,” Sark explained, before turning to face Evan with a harsh look. “Which I still haven’t seen any of, by the way.”

Evan nodded in understanding and silently adjusted the strap of his gym bag to draw Sark’s attention to it, eyeing the security cameras out of the corner of his eye. Mini wasn’t sure what that gesture was supposed to mean, but Sark seemed to understand, and gave him a smile and a nod, foul mood leaving as soon as it came.

“Ah, so you have pulled through for me. That’s good. For a few days there, I was worried I might have to send some of my friends after you,” Sark admitted, and Mini was even less sure as to what that was supposed to mean, but had seen enough action movies to make an educated guess. He desperately hoped he was wrong though.

“There’s no need for that, Sark. I’m as good as my word,” Evan told him with a confident smile, looking him directly in the eye to make sure Sark knew he could trust him.

“I’d hope so, for your sake,” Sark responded, and casually leaned on the counter in front of him. “So what can I do for you boys, anyway? I’m assuming you didn’t bring the entire squad here just to pay your debt.”

Evan leaned on the counter next to him and glanced back at his silent friends behind him. “We’ve got a job coming up and we need to get Mini and...  _Moo_  kitted out. They need a pistol each, and neither have licenses, so we need to get them one of those too.”

“Ah! Baby’s first gun, eh? I can do that for you,” Sark said, and pulled some paperwork and a pen from underneath the register. He waved for Brock and Mini to come closer, before slipping on a pair of reading glasses and clicking the pen. “Okay, first things first, I’m going to need to see some ID,” he said, as he scanned through the forms in front of him.

As they approached the counter, Mini pulled out his wallet so he could flash him his driver’s license, but Evan stopped him with a light shoulder touch before he could. “Don’t show him your name.”

“What? Why? Doesn’t he need to see that?” Mini asked confused, but did as he was told regardless and covered his name with his finger as he showed the ID to Sark.

“...There’s a reason I insisted we come to Sark to do this,” was all Evan had to say about that, which made Mini feel uneasy. He should have known that they were going to obtain gun licenses in less than legal means, but the thought never occurred to him.

“Aw Vanoss, you make me sound so skeevy,” Sark commented with a slight smirk, as he scribbled something down on the forms in front him. Once he was satisfied with their ID, Mini and Brock put their licenses away and Sark handed him his pen. “Now I just need you to sign here. Since Vanoss doesn’t want me to know your identity, just make a vague scribble that could pass as a signature, and it’ll be fine. Most signatures I get are chicken scratch, anyway.”

Mini nodded and drew a squiggly line in the appropriate slot, and then handed the pen to Brock so he could do the same on the other form. “Okay, good!” Sark exclaimed and took the forms and pen from them when they were ready. “It’ll take a few days for these to, ahem,  _process_ , but in the meantime I can send you two down to the shooting range, and Brian will give you a quick lesson on gun safety and teach you everything you need to know.”

“Brian?” Tyler asked, speaking for the first time since they arrived and Mini had honestly forgot he was here.

“Oh that’s right! You lot haven’t met Brian yet, have you?” Sark asked as he slipped the filled in forms under the counter. “Well, Brian’s the new hire I brought on to mind the shooting range while I work the counter. The police made me hire somebody to keep a better eye on the basement after there was a murder down there last week.” When he noticed the shocked looks on his customers’ faces, Sark quickly added “But I’m sure that won’t happen again! Probably.”

Evan leaned in close to Sark, concern written on his face. “Can we trust him?” he asked, worry underlying in his voice.

“Absolutely,” Sark said with confidence. “He knows the consequences of stepping out of line.”

“What are the consequences...?” Brock asked in spite of not wanting to know the answer.

“Well, let’s just say my good buddy Jason Voorhees will take care of him and leave it at that.” Mini didn’t even want to hazard a guess as to what Sark meant by that, and hoped he never found out; a common occurrence in his life as of late. “Anyway, enough about my work policies. Let’s head downstairs and get you boys started.”

Sark waved for the group to follow him and headed towards the doors in the back left corner. He unhooked a large set of keys off the wall, and used them to unlock the door leading to the shooting range, holding it open for them. Evan led the way down the narrow staircase, seemingly knowing the way already, and Brock followed close behind him. Mini turned to help Tyler down the stairs, but was batted away, Tyler insisting he can manage just fine on his own.

The door shut behind them with a click as they reached the bottom of the staircase, stepping into the narrow shooting range. The wall to their right was lined with various guns, all of which were clipped and padlocked to the wall as to not be easily stolen. On their left was a row of small cubicles stretching all the way to the other side of the room where the patrons could practice shooting at paper targets. The open space on the other side of the cubicles was littered with bullet holes, and the whole room reeked of gunpowder.

Next to the wall of weapons, sat in an uncomfortable looking wooden chair, was who Mini assumed to be Brian. He didn’t seem to notice them enter the room as he was far too engrossed in the 3DS in his hands, muffled music blaring from the oversized headphones he was wearing beneath his hood. 

Sark sighed the second he laid eyes on him and stormed over to where he was seated, and roughly tugged the hood off his head, startling Brian so much that he almost dropped his game. “Is this what I’m paying you to do?” Sark asked, crossing his arms as he watched Brian take off his headphones.

“I have to pass the time between customers  _somehow_  since you won’t let me fire the guns any more,” Brian explained as he put all of his things away in a small backpack, a noticable accent spilling from his lips.

“You can fire the guns if you want, just not in your own free time. It’s a waste of ammo,” Sark said, and then turned to gesture at Mini and Brock. “Anyway Brian, these two right here have applied for gun licenses so I need you to show them the ropes while I talk to Vanoss here upstairs.”

Brian audibly groaned and his shoulders sagged as he stood up and popped his back. “Great, more guys with fake names. Can’t you bring some normal people down here for once?” he complained.

“Can’t bring you what I don’t have, buddy,” Sark joked, clapping him lightly on the shoulder before heading back upstairs.

“I’ll come and get you guys when we’re done,” Evan told them before following after Sark.

“Thanks Mom,” Tyler joked, and Evan shot him an indignant look before disappearing up the stairs.

Brian clapped his hands together once to gain all of their attention, before pulling a set of keys out of his pocket and turning to the wall of guns. “We’ll start you off simple with a couple of pistols, since you’re noobs and can’t handle anything bigger yet. That’s what she said,” he chuckled to himself and Mini rolled his eyes at the awful joke. As he unlocked the padlocks and pulled the mentioned guns off the wall, he glanced back at Tyler. “What about you, big guy? Sark didn’t say anything about you.”

“I’m just here to watch and make sure these two assholes don’t accidentally shoot themselves in the foot, or something equally fucking stupid,” Tyler replied and sat down in the newly vacated wooden chair, hand gripping his side.

Mini rolled his eyes. “I may be inexperienced Ty-  _Wildcat_ , but I’m not that fucking dumb.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Tyler grinned, and Mini shot him a glare and a middle finger.

“Well if they do shoot themselves, the way I see it is natural selection is working its magic, and we can’t be held responsible,” Brian smirked as he handed one pistol to Mini, and gave the other to Brock. “So do you two know what you’re doing or do I have to walk you through every little step?”

“Um... can you show me?” Brock asked, smiling at Brian nervously, and Mini looked at him confused. He knew for a fact that Brock knew perfectly well how to fire a gun as they’d been to shooting ranges together a long time ago before any of the recent events went down, and he even had better aim than Mini did. He didn’t understand why he’d need Brian to show him what to do.

“Yeah, I can show you,” Brian smiled softly at him and lead him into a cubicle, his hand lightly resting on the small of Brock’s back. Mini glanced at Tyler when he noticed this, and Tyler glanced back at him, eyebrows raised and a small smirk on his face. “Sorry, what did you say your name was?” Brian asked.

“Moo.”

“Moo? That’s pretty cute.”

“Do you think?” Brock asked, cheeks stained a light pink. “You don’t think it’s dumb?”

“Nah, it’s not dumb. I mean, you could’ve picked something more intimidating, but it suits you, somehow.”

“Oh my God,” Tyler scoffed quietly enough so neither of them could hear him, and Mini lightly chuckled to himself at his exclamation.

As Brian ‘helped’ Brock with his shooting practice, Mini took his pistol into the next cubicle over so he could get some practice in too. “Well I guess I’m on my own then,” he commented, and put on the headphones and protective goggles provided.

“What? You want me to hold your hand too, you big baby?” Tyler joked and Mini rolled his eyes at the suggestion.

“No I’m good. I’ve held your hand enough this past week to last me the rest of my life,” Mini replied, referring to the night Tyler came home after getting shot and gripped his hand throughout the entirety of the medical procedures. 

A warm, fluttery feeling enveloped his chest as he remembered the feeling of Tyler’s bigger hand wrapped around his smaller one, and he smiled to himself. The moment of happiness was short lived however as he was reminded of how tightly Tyler squeezed his hand in pain and of the low whines and pained noises he made the entire night. His grip on the pistol tightened and he frowned. He will not let him get hurt like that again.

Mini raised the gun and took a deep breath, aiming down the barrel at the human shaped target in front of him. His finger caressed the trigger, but all he could picture was an actual person in front of him, and he hesitated. That was the reason Evan had took them here, he wanted Mini and Brock to learn how to fire a gun so they could shoot at cops during the robbery, but Mini wasn’t sure he could do it. 

All he could imagine standing in front of him was a real person with a real family and real friends, and he couldn’t shoot them. He couldn’t put a bullet in them knowing they had a family and friends who’d miss them terribly. He thought of how worried and panicked he was when he saw Evan carry Tyler through their front door only a few nights ago, and he didn’t even want to think of how he would have felt if Evan had have come alone. 

Mini’s shoulders sagged dejectedly as he lowered his pistol, and sighed. He couldn’t put other people through that, he just couldn’t.

“Why didn’t you shoot?” Tyler asked concerned, and got up off the wooden chair he was sitting on and walked into Mini’s cubicle.

Mini avoided his gaze and stared down into the open space in front of him, watching solemnly as bullets from Brock’s gun pierced one of the other targets. “...I don’t know if I can do this, Wildcat,” he admitted softly, wishing he could call him by name and have a proper heart to heart right now.

“Do what? Shoot a target?” Tyler asked confused, not seeing his thought process at all. “Sure you can! You’ve done it before. Just point the gun and pull the trigger, it’s not hard.”

“No, I mean...” Mini took a deep breath. “I mean, I don’t know if I could...  _shoot people_...” he whispered, conscious of the fact that Brian was stood but a few feet away from them. He and Brock were giggling about something or other in the next cubicle over, completely oblivious to anything Mini and Tyler were doing or talking about.

Tyler’s expression softened as he understood what he was feeling. “Nobody’s expecting you to kill anyone, Mini, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he said in an equally quiet tone. “The worst you’ll have to do is provide suppressing fire, maybe shoot a cop in an arm or a leg or something, nothing lethal.”

“I know, Wildcat, and I get that,” he paused. “But I don’t know if I can bring myself to even do  _that_. Like if I can’t even bring myself to shoot at a drawing, then how am I supposed to shoot at a real person? How the hell do you and Ev-  _Vanoss_  do it?”

Tyler leaned on the counter in from of them and sighed, and stared off into the empty space in front of them. “We couldn’t, at first,” he began. “We only brought the guns with us a precaution, we didn’t think we’d actually need them. We didn’t plan on shooting or hurting anybody... But then on our first night, the clerk pulled a gun on us and Vanoss popped her in the shoulder. He was pretty shaken up about it actually-  _we both were_ , and I didn’t even shoot at anything but fucking shelves,” he chuckled and shook his head. “But you know what Vanoss is like. He doesn’t like to show weakness and pulled himself together pretty quickly, and went back to being the cocky fucking idiot we all know and tolerate...”

“...Once we had done it once, the second and third nights were easier. We shot the clerks before they had a chance to shoot us, and did it as if it was part of our daily fucking routine. We didn’t kill them or anything, just hurt them enough to know they won’t try to fight back. It still stung to know we did that to them, but it was much easier than the first time. So much so it scared us.”

“...And then there was night four, and we all know how fucking well that night ended,” Tyler chuckled bitterly. “The cops showed up guns blazing before we even had a chance to leave the fucking store. We don’t know if somebody called them or if the clerk hit a silent alarm or what, but we were surrounded instantly. We managed to slip out the back, but they caught onto that pretty quickly and followed us. We HAD to shoot them to get them off our tail, we had no fucking choice in the matter...”

“...Then one nicked me in the side. Everything that happened after that is a fucking blur, but I know Vanoss shot the guy that did it. He might have killed him too, I don’t know. We didn’t exactly stick around long enough to find out...”

Tyler took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “...It’s different out there than it is in here, Mini. When you’re out there, and there’s people fucking shooting at you and you’re running high on adrenaline, it’s easy to forget there’s people behind the guns. The thought doesn’t even cross your mind. When you’re in that situation, it’s either kill, or be killed. There’s no in between. It’s either you or them, and I’d sure as fuck rather it be them. You’ve got to put yourself and your friends first, and it may sound selfish as fuck, but at the end of the day, it’s more important that we come home safely. And if putting a few bullets in cops is the way to ensure that we all come home alive, then fuck it, that’s just what we’ll have to do. It may not be ideal, but you gotta do what you gotta do.”

“...You know what I mean?” Tyler asked, and Mini nodded.

“I know what you mean.”

Mini had stayed silent during his impromptu pep talk, taking in everything Tyler was saying to him, but one phrase stuck out in particular:  _it’s either you or them_. 

Tyler was right. In the end, it wouldn’t matter who was on the other side of his pistol, he might have to shoot them in order to ensure their safety, and as bad as it sounds, their lives were important than a stranger’s. Mini didn’t want Tyler to get hurt again, and he certainly didn’t want him to die. If shooting at a cop is what it takes to ensure that doesn’t happen, then he's going to have to do it whether he wants to or not. He may not like it and the thought may make him feel sick to the stomach, but Mini was willing to do whatever it takes to keep his best friends safe.

_It’s either you or them._

Mini took a slow, deep breath and raised his gun. He aimed down the barrel at the human shaped target, and this time, he pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sark was a fun personality to write. Hopefully I'll get to write him again soon. 
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the dialogue heavy chapter but it was necessary. But hey! There's a little bit of flirty Terrornuckel in there and some Minicat, and that's exciting. 
> 
> It took just under a week to write this, and it'll probably take around that for the next chapter too, so I'll try and aim to update at least once a week, provided I don't get buried under university work. Sound good? Good. See you then :)


	4. 3, 2, 1, GO!

“I’m not sure how I feel about being your guinea pig,” Tyler commented from his relaxed position on his bed, watching lazily as Mini re-entered the room, first aid kit and bowl of water in hand.

Mini rolled his eyes at him as he grabbed the back of Tyler’s desk chair and wheeled it over to the edge of the bed. “Too bad you don’t have a choice,” he replied, sitting down on the chair and pulling it as close to Tyler as he possibly could. “Unless you want to keep those stitches in for the rest of your life,” he added, unzipping the first aid kit so he could get started.

Today was the day they would finally remove Tyler’s stitches, and the day Mini got to put his new found medical knowledge to good use. He’d been reading up on first aid for the past week, scanning through countless online articles and YouTube videos until he got to the point where he was confident he could at least treat any minor wound he was presented with. He still couldn’t give anyone stitches if he ever needed to, but Brock promised him that he’d teach him how to sew as soon as they had some free time.

Mini lightly gripped the hem of Tyler’s shirt and pulled it up to the reveal the stitched up wound underneath. Brock’s handiwork was surprisingly neat for someone who had never stitched someone up before, but Mini had spent the entire morning looking at pictures of stitches in preparation for what he was about to do, and knew what stitches given by a professional was supposed to look like. Brock’s work may have been neat, but you could still easily tell from looking at Tyler’s stitches that they were given to him by an amateur. 

“Wow, you not gonna buy me dinner before you start taking my clothes off, Mini?” Tyler joked, and Mini couldn’t help but chuckle at the comparison.

“Doctors don’t date their patients, Tyler,” Mini said as he dipped a cotton ball into the bowl of warm water and began to dab at the wound to clean it before he got started. 

“Who said anything about a date? I just wanted free food!” Tyler laughed, and Mini tried to ignore how much those words stung. He didn’t even know  _why_  they stung, as it wasn’t like he  _wanted_  to go on a date with Tyler or anything (though a part of him did wonder what that would be like). They were just friends, nothing more nothing less.

Once Mini was satisfied that the wound was properly cleaned and dried, he retrieved the scissors and tweezers he had sterilized earlier from the first aid kit. As he was about to start, his hand lightly touched Tyler’s side, only for Tyler to suddenly take a sharp intake of breath and his body tensed, and Mini jumped back in his seat.

“Your hands are cold,” Tyler explained, a little embarrassed, and Mini rolled his eyes, relieved that he hadn’t actually hurt him like he thought he had.

"Suck it up you big baby,” Mini said and lightly laid a hand on Tyler’s side, this time ignoring how he tensed beneath his touch. He used the tweezers to lift one of the knots in the stitches, before snipping the thread with the scissors. Next, he gently tugged the thread out of his skin, careful not to hurt him, and then paused to make sure he wasn’t going to bleed before he continued.

As he worked, Tyler decided to strike up a conversation. “So how are you feeling about the robbery tomorrow?” he asked, staring up at the roof as he didn’t want to watch what Mini was doing.

Mini frowned. To say he wasn’t looking forward to committing his first armed robbery tomorrow was an understatement. He was  _terrified_ , but he wasn’t going to tell Tyler that. He was dreading carrying a gun in public and being expected to use it, and was scared of getting caught by the police or worse again, shot by them. He really didn’t want to do this, but he had to. One of the others could die if he wasn’t there to provide cover for them or give them medical treatment if they needed it. He had to go. He could not stay behind, no matter how much his common sense was telling him to. He couldn’t stay behind knowing the others might need his help. It wasn’t right.

Mini didn’t need to voice these thoughts for Tyler to know how he was feeling, and Mini wondered why he ever bothered to hide things from him when he knew Tyler could read him like a book. “I’m sure we’ll be fine, Mini, there’s nothing to worry about,” Tyler reassured him. “Me and Evan have done this multiple times before, remember? We know what we’re doing and we haven’t been caught yet.”

“Yeah, but you did get  _fucking shot_  though,” Mini pointed out.

“Are you still hung up on that? Mini, I’m fine, and it’s not going to happen again. If you paid any attention during the mission briefing earlier you’d know that I’m just the getaway driver this time and I will never at any point be getting out of the fucking car. I’ll be the safest out of all of you-  _and nothings going to happen to you either_.”

“You don’t know that,” Mini muttered under his breath, but Tyler still heard him.

“No, I don’t, but what I DO know is that Evan would quicker shoot himself than let anything bad happen to either you or Brock in that store. You’ll be fine, Mini, don’t worry about it.”

‘That was easier said than done’ Mini wanted to reply but bit back his words, and instead smiled and nodded. Tyler’s words did little to reassure him, but he was sick of having this exact same conversation that seemed to come up over and over again. Mini would voice his worries, and Tyler would reassure him with the same spiel, and then they’d part ways not feeling any better than before they’d started talking.

At this point, Mini just wanted to get tomorrow over and done with so everything could go back to normal.

Mini pulled out the last stitch in Tyler’s wound and put the scissors and tweezers back into the first kit. He took another cotton ball and dipped it into the now tepid water, and cleaned Tyler’s wound for what he hoped would be the last time. Once he was done, he dropped the cotton ball into the bowl of water, and examined the now closed up wound.

All that was left now was a pinkish ridge that would no doubt leave a scar when he was completely healed. Mini couldn’t help lightly caressing it with his thumb, reveling in how Tyler seemed to shiver beneath his touch. The skin around the wound felt rough compared to the smooth expanse of Tyler’s stomach, and he wondered if his skin around the scar would soften as he continued to heal.

“Mini?” Tyler voiced, and it wasn’t until then that Mini realised his hands had wandered and he was touching Tyler way more than what was necessary, and he hastily pulled his hands away, cheeks aflame. “What are you doing?” Tyler asked, and Mini was beginning to wonder the same damn thing.

“I was uh... just making sure the wound had closed up properly,” he said, trying to convince himself that’s what he was doing, and wasn’t just caressing him because he liked the feel of skin and  _loved_  the involuntary shiver Tyler had when he touched him. “Y’know, just routine stuff. Standard medical procedure.”

“Alright,” Tyler said unconvinced, and Mini felt his cheeks burn hotter and desperately hoped Tyler didn’t notice.

Mini quickly sweeped all of the loose medical supplies into the first aid kit and grabbed the water bowl before standing up. “Well, my work here is done, and you should probably get some rest for the big day tomorrow,” he said, eyeing the bedroom door longingly but knowing it would be rude if he just dropped everything and sprinted through it.

“Alright,” Tyler repeated, eyeing him with an expression that Mini couldn’t quite place. He looked like he wanted to say something further, but his tongue didn’t let him and he swallowed his words.

“Well, goodnight Tyler,” Mini told him as he all but ran out of the room, in a hurry to escape from the awkward situation he had created.

“Goodnight, Mini,” Tyler called after him as Mini shut the door, closing him inside. 

Mini was glad that Evan and Brock were elsewhere and weren’t in the living room to see him sigh heavily and lean against Tyler’s bedroom door, the back of his head lightly banging against it as the past few minutes ran through his mind.

_What the fuck was that?!_

\----

Mini decided that the best course of action was to pretend that it never happened. He decided to just go on with the rest of his life pretending that he never caressed his best friend’s stomach for no goddamn reason, and that everyone involved would be happier and less freaked out if it was never thought of again. 

Besides, he had much bigger things to be worried about anyway, like what he was doing right now for instance.

Currently Mini was wearing a bulletproof vest in the backseat of a car they had just stolen, a first aid kit at his feet and a pistol in his belt, nervously playing with a rubber mask in his hands. If he and Brock were going to rob this gas station convenience store with Evan and Tyler, then they needed to look the part, and picked out an animal mask each. Mini had chosen a vulture mask, while Brock went with one that resembled a bald eagle.

The atmosphere in the car was tense and quiet, which didn’t help Mini’s frazzled nerves at all. Nobody had said anything in the past fifteen minutes, all caught up in their own thoughts, and the silence only made him more aware of his frantically beating heart. 

Tyler and Evan didn’t seem bothered at all. Mini couldn’t really see Tyler’s face as he was sitting in front of him in the driver’s seat, but he seemed to be concentrating hard on the road and the route they were taking. Evan on the other hand, was calm and collected as always, staring out the window as if he was on a pleasant Sunday drive and not about to rob a convenience store.

Mini could at least take solace in the fact that Brock seemed to be about as nervous as he was. His shoulders were stiff and tense, and he was staring down into the dead eyes of the mask in his hands, fingers twitching on their own accord. Mini wanted to reach over and place a hand on his shoulder to calm him, wanted to share his feelings of apprehension and dread, but didn’t want to be the one to break the thick, palpable silence, and so kept his hands to himself.

As they turned down a new street, passing Sark’s Ammunation, Tyler spoke up. “Alright boys, masks on. The gas station is at the end of this street.” 

If possible, Mini felt his heart beat faster. He quickly tugged on his vulture mask and maybe it was the nerves, but it suddenly felt harder to breathe. The inside of the mask was stuffy and smelled awful, and his vision was severely impaired. He didn’t understand how Tyler and Evan could stand to wear these things at all, nevermind while doing something as dangerous as committing an armed robbery.

“Everybody remember the plan?” Evan asked as he adjusted his own mask, before helping Tyler put on his as he drove. In spite of everyone replying in the affirmative, Evan continued and gave them all a quick run down of the plan anyway. “The second Wildcat stops the car, we run into the store guns blazing. I’ll get the money and take care of the clerk. Moo, you keep an eye on any customers and make sure they don’t call the cops. Mini, you’re in charge of taking out the cameras. Wildcat, you’re on lookout duty and the second you even hear a siren, start honking the horn. When he gives that signal, we make a run for it, hop back into the car and hightail it outta there. From this point onwards:  _codenames only_. Understood?”

A chorus of ‘yeahs’ and nods filled the car as everyone finished prepping themselves. Mini picked the first aid kit up off the floor and hooked it onto his belt so he’d have it on hand if somebody were to get hurt. He took out his pistol and clicked off the safety, readying it for when he had to shoot out the security cameras. He closed his eyes for a brief second and took some deep soothing breaths to calm his nerves. They were going to be okay. Nobody was going to get hurt, and everything was going to be fine.

“Count us down, Wildcat,” Evan said as he took off his seatbelt, the internal alarm beeping frantically once he had done so, newly acquired SMG in hand.

“Alright, on ‘Go’. Three...”

They were going to die.

“Two...”

They were going to die.

“One...”

They were going to fucking die.

“GO GO GO!” Tyler screamed as he sharply swerved into the gas station and slammed his foot on the brakes.

Throwing caution into the wind, Mini practically kicked the car door open the second the car screeched to a halt. He climbed out and immediately took aim at the furthest security camera and shot it out without a second thought. He slammed the car door shut and followed Brock and Evan towards the store entrance, shooting out the second camera by the door along the way. Just before they stepped inside, he hazarded one last glance back at Tyler as he knew he wouldn’t see him again until they were ready to escape (or possibly ever), and received an encouraging thumbs up for his troubles. 

Mini just hoped he would be okay out here on his own.

Evan took point as they stormed the store, and charged through the half open automatic doors, not having the time to wait until they opened fully. Not even waiting for Mini and Brock to enter the building, he unloaded bullets into the shelves behind the cashier, liquor bottles exploding like fragile glass fireworks. It was an intimidation tactic and an effective one at that, based on the petrified look of the unlucky cashier and his uncontrollable trembling hands.

“Empty all of the money from the register into a bag. Now,” Evan barked in a harsh, stern tone, weapon trained on the poor clerk’s head as he shakily did as he was told.

“Oh my fucking God,” a familiar Irish accent panicked, and Mini turned to face the customer to see Brian backing himself into a corner, hands raised in self-defense. He didn’t seem to recognise any of them on account of their masks, which Mini supposed was a good thing, all things considering. It likely wouldn’t end well for them if a potential hostage knew what their faces looked like.

Mini just about heard Brock whisper an expletive under his breath as he hesitantly and reluctantly pointed his gun at Brian. It was very clear from his body language that Brock did  _not_  want to do this, didn’t want to point his gun at his new friend and certainly didn’t want to be in a position where he might have to shoot him, but knew he didn’t have any other choice. Mini didn’t envy him one bit.

Suddenly remembering that he had a job to do, Mini took aim at the security camera near the counter and shot it off the wall. Sparks rained down as the piece of technology dropped and bounced three times on the floor. Mini glanced at the TV screen on the wall next to where the camera was previously watching them, and noticed that all but one of the security feeds showed monochrome static.

Scouring the room for the last security camera, Mini spotted it in the opposite corner near where Brian and Brock were staring each other down. Just like he did three times before, Mini aimed down the barrel and fired off a few shots to break it. He must have shot it at an angle because the camera unexpectedly flew off across the room, smacking Brock in the shoulder, causing him to lower his gun and pull the trigger, and he shot the ground mere inches away from Brian’s feet.

Brian inhaled sharply, eyes wide open, and it looked like his life was flashing before his eyes. Brock stood completely frozen, the horror of what he almost did settling in. He stared down at the bullet hole in the tiles, and allowed himself to look back up at Brian, shoulders sinking slightly in relief when he realised he wasn’t hurt. He reluctantly pointed his gun at him again, this time not holding onto the trigger quite so tightly.

Mini was more concerned with Brock’s wellbeing and the growing bruise on his shoulder, however. He hadn’t meant for him to get hurt and he felt terrible. “Shit, Brock, I’m sorr-...!” Mini cut himself off, eyes widening when he realised what he just said.

He called him by his real name. He forgot to use his codename, and there was no way Brian and the cashier didn’t hear him.

He fucked up, he fucked up  _hard_.

Brock stood frozen in place, his shoulders tense, as Brian stared at them confused as to why they were suddenly standing so still. Evan slowly turned his head to look back at them, SMG still diligently trained on the nervous clerk in front of him. “...Did you just say what I think you said?” he asked in a cold tone Mini had never heard him use before.

“I-I’m sorry! It was an accident! I didn’t mean to, it just slipped out!” Mini blurted out, eyes darting frantically between Evan and Brock. It was a mistake. He wasn’t thinking, and he should’ve been more careful. Now both the clerk and Brian knew Brock’s name, and it was all his fault.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Evan turned back to face the cashier, who was cautiously watching their exchange, afraid and concerned as to what was going to happen. “Great,” Evan grumbled. “Now I’m going to have to shoot this guy.”

“Wh-”

_Bang bang bang bang!_

Four shots were fired off in rapid succession from the automatic weapon, each one hitting the cashier in the middle of his chest. The impact caused him to stumble back, roughly knocking into the shelves behind him, before sliding into an unmoving, dead-eyed crumpled heap on the ground. Blood seaped out of his wounds and stained his previously blue shirt a dark red.

They could only stare on in stunned silence as Evan slowly lowered his gun. Evan just killed someone. Evan just straight up  _murdered_  someone without so much as a second thought, all because he knew Brock’s name. A man laid dead on the ground all because Mini slipped up and said Brock’s name. 

A man died because of him. Evan shot the cashier and it was  _all his fault_.

To their surprise, Brian was the first one to speak, it dawning on him that he was about to suffer a similar fate. “No no no no! Don’t shoot me! Don’t kill me, please! I-I won’t tell anyone, I swear! Don’t shoot me, oh God, please don’t shoot me!” he begged, taking short shallow breaths as he panicked. “I-I’ll do anything just don’t do this. Please.”

Brock’s posture seemed to soften and the grip on his pistol faltered. He obviously did not want to shoot Brian. “...Do we have to kill him, Vanoss?” he asked, his voice desperate. “I mean, if Sark trusts him, then we can to, right?”

“Yes! Sark trusts me! And he’ll be fucking pissed if you kill me! So don’t!” Brian piped up, eyes locked onto Evan’s mask as he pleaded for his life.

“I doubt that somehow,” Evan commented and took a few steps towards them, choosing to stand next to Mini, who was watching the exchange with bated breath. He had already witnessed one murder today, and was not looking forward to possibly witnessing another one; especially the death of somebody he actually knew.

“Okay so maybe I’m expendable, but that doesn’t mean you should kill me!” he chuckled nervously, eyes shooting back to the barrel of Brock’s gun. “Look, I swear on my Mother’s life that I won’t tell anyone his name! If you let me go and I did that, Sark would have one of his goons gut me like a fish before you ever had the chance to. I swear I’m not a fucking snitch, please don’t do this.”

The store went silent as Evan mulled his request over, the atmosphere thick and tense as they awaited his decision. “...He won’t tell anyone, Vanoss. I mean, Sark did say we can trust him,” Brock piped up, trying to sway his decision in their favour.

“Yeah, but just because Sark trusts him, Moo, doesn’t mean we should.”

“Wait, ‘Moo’?!” Brian exclaimed in surprise, only then realising who exactly was pointing the gun at him, much to Brock’s chagrin. “Fuck, I knew I recognised that voice,” Brian admitted, shoulders sagging and arms falling to his side in defeat. “Of course the one time I actually meet a gang outside work and it’s yours, of fucking course...”

“I’m sorry, Brian...” Brock said so softly and so sadly that Mini thought his own heart was going to break.

“It’s okay, Moo Moo. I understand,” Brian sighed. “You’ve gotta do, what you gotta do. It’s just... Fuck, I wish it wasn’t you. Why did it have to be you?”

Suddenly very confused as to what was going on, Evan leaned over to Mini and asked “Do they know each other?”

Mini nodded, watching the pair sadly. Ever since they met that day in the Ammunation, Brock had been talking to him non-stop. Mini was honestly surprised that Evan hadn’t noticed, considering every time Mini looked at him he was grinning at whatever text he was just sent on his phone. He and Tyler had teased him about his little crush quite a bit, but Brock would always just wave them off with a slight blush tinting his cheeks, before tapping away on his phone again.

“Yeah, they know each other  _very well_ , if you catch my drift.”

“Ahh,” Evan hummed, seeming to understand what Mini was getting at. “So that’s why Moo is so adamant about keeping him alive then,” he mused, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Well, that and I don’t actually want to kill anyone. At all,” Brock admitted, hesitantly lowering his gun ever so slightly in the hopes that Evan would tell him to put it away completely.

“Yeah! Moo and I know each other and he trusts me, right Moo Moo?” Brian asked, and Moo nodded enthusiastically. “See? He trusts me, and I would never give his identity away to anyone. You don’t need to kill me. Hell I’ll even help you! I have a gun on me right now and I can help you fight off the cops when they show up! You can trust me, Vanoss, cross my fucking heart.”

Evan put some thought into his suggestion, before pointing out “You don’t have a mask. The cops will know who you are.”

“No, it’s fine! I don’t need one! I’ll just...” Brian flipped his hood over his head and grabbed a pair of aviators off the nearby sunglasses stand and slipped them over his eyes. “There! See? Now they’ll never recognise me!” he exclaimed, and Mini could tell from the way Evan moved his head that he was rolling his eyes at him beneath his owl mask. “Please! I can help you!”

Before anyone could say anything further, the sound of Tyler frantically beeping the horn interrupted the conversation, his loud screaming telling them to “get the fuck out of there” barely heard over the honking. The sound of sirens in the distance was slowly getting louder and louder as the police sped towards their location.

Instinctively, they all turned to Evan for guidance, only to find that he was panicking just as much as they were. “ _Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck_ ,” he chanted, running to the counter and hopping over it with ease. “Go! I’ll get the money!” he ordered as he bent down to pick up the abandoned plastic bag and started stuffing it with cash.

Mini hesitated, unsure if he should abandon him alone, but Evan shooed him off with a wave of a hand. Taking that as his cue to leave, Mini took a deep breath to prepare himself and started to run. 

The automatic doors barely opened in time for him to barrel through them, feet hitting the ground hard as he sprinted towards the getaway vehicle. Mini had tunnel vision and focused solely on the black car and the man in the pig mask inside it waving for him to hurry the fuck up. Police cruisers swerved around the corner and skidded to a halt in the gas station, only encouraging him to run faster. He dived behind their car just in time to avoid a hailstorm of bullets raining down upon him, the pellets pinging off the car doors instead.

“Get the fuck in here and keep your head down!” Tyler yelled at him from the driver’s seat as he took potshots at the cops firing at them.

Mini was acting purely on adrenaline now as he army crawled towards the backseat and flung the door open, heart beating fast against his ribcage. He crawled into the car, careful not to raise his head above the window, noting how the glass was already shattered and scattered in small fragments all over the seats and floor. Mini slammed the car door shut behind him and readied his pistol to fire at the police if he needed to.

Tyler was leaning over the center console uncomfortably, keeping his head down as he blind fired through the smashed passenger seat window. Bullets were whizzing overhead, just missing them by mere inches and Mini supposed that he should copy Tyler and provide cover for their friends, but that fear of killing someone was still there, was still niggling at his conscience. 

He didn’t want to hurt anyone the way the police hurt Tyler. He couldn’t bring himself to put other people through the pain he suffered, or the panic and worry he felt when Tyler came home injured that night. He couldn’t do it, but he knew he had to. Brock, Evan, and Brian could get hurt if he didn’t. It was either the police or them, and he would pick the police every single time.

Wanting to delay the inevitable for another moment, Mini dared to poke his head up for a second to see where his friends were, wondering why they hadn’t followed him out. Brock and Brian had taken cover on either side of the automatic door, dodging the onslaught of bullets being fired in their direction. Brian was returning fire with a magnum he didn’t have earlier, Brock doing the same but much more reluctantly. Evan was nowhere to be seen.

Out of nowhere, a daring cop decided to sprint towards them and Tyler quickly sat upright and threw the car into reverse to avoid him. The car jolted suddenly, and Mini was rolled off the seat and onto the floor as they backed up too quickly, landing on all of the broken glass. The small sections of his wrists that were unclothed stung painfully as the tiny shards stuck into his exposed skin, causing him to hiss through his teeth.

His pain went unnoticed by Tyler who was too preoccupied with driving and ducking under the gunfire to pay attention to him in the backseat. He swerved the car in every direction as he tried to avoid them getting shot, and to get away from the annoying policemen that insisted on trying to lunge at the car in an attempt to pull them out of it.

“I can’t hold them off for much longer! We need to go!” Tyler told him, pulling out of the gas station and onto the street.

“But what about the others?! We can’t leave them behind!” Mini exclaimed as he sat up, one hand gripping one of his injured wrists, the other still holding onto his pistol.

“We’ll loop around! But for now, we need to get the fuck out of here!” he insisted, shoved the car into drive, and sped off down the road.

Mini turned around to look out the rear view window which was surprisingly still intact, watching as two police cars reversed out of the gas station to follow them.

Suddenly, there was an ear splitting BOOM and a bright light that caused Mini to flinch and look away. For a moment, he couldn’t hear a thing over the loud ringing in his ears and was only vaguely aware of Tyler’s swearing from the front seat. As he slowly came back to his senses, he turned back towards the rear view window, eyes widening as he took in the devastation that followed the gas station exploding.

The two police cruisers that had attempted to follow them where overturned and set ablaze, the frames smashed in and the windows blown out. A large fire billowed out from the gas station and thick black smoke slowly rose into the night’s sky, frantic screaming and shouting filling the silence. He couldn’t see the store from where they were driving away, and his heart was in his mouth as he thought of his friends they left behind.

Was the store still standing? Did Evan and Brock get out alive, and with Brian too? His hands were shaking at the thought of them lying still on the floor, barely breathing while he and Tyler had escaped almost unscathed. The first aid kit was still hooked onto his belt, and he mentally berated himself for leaving them when they needed him most. He was supposed to be the medic goddammit, and here he was running away to save himself. He had to go help them.

“Tyler, we need to go back!” he exclaimed, surprising himself with how steady his voice sounded in spite of how much he was panicking.

“Way ahead of you, buddy,” Tyler replied, turning the corner and turning a second one so they could loop around the block.

Even though Tyler was breaking the speed limit, he was still driving much too slow for Mini’s liking. He couldn’t get back to the convenience store fast enough. Every second spent trying to get back to their friends was a second wasted, a second he could have spent wrapping wounds or applying antiseptic cream, or doing absolutely anything that would ensure their friends would live to see tomorrow. 

Right now, he didn’t know their fates and it was making him feel sick to the stomach.

As they turned down another street that led to the gas station, Mini saw the one thing he desperately hoped he wouldn’t see. The entire convenience store and a few of the surrounding buildings had gone up in flames. Fire was escaping through the smashed windows, and the clear sky was being clouded over by black smoke. Injured cops were running around trying their best to combat the flames and keep the concerned civilians out of danger as they waited for the fire brigade to arrive. 

Mini couldn’t see Brock or Evan or Brian anywhere. No one in the area was wearing masks like theirs, and he couldn’t spot their faces either. Were they still trapped in the building? He needed to get them out.

Without even thinking about it, Mini slid over to the other seat in the back and opened the door to hop out, only to to be instantly pulled back in by Tyler. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” he yelled, tugging hard on the back of Mini’s hoodie to keep him inside of the car.

“What does it look like I’m doing?! I’m going to fucking go in there and help them!” he explained as he tried to wriggle out of Tyler’s grip but this only caused him to hold on tighter.

“Like hell you are!” he hissed. “You don’t even know if they’re even still in the store, dumbass! And I don’t know if you fucking noticed or not, but the building is  _on fire_! You’re only going to get yourself killed!”

“So, what? We’re just going to wait out here and hope they’re not  _dying_  in there?!”

“Mini.  _You could die_!”

“Well so could they!”

“ _Listen to me you motherfucker,”_ Tyler seethed, pulling him as close to him as he could manage. “You are NOT going into that building. I KNOW they could still be in there, I fucking get that, but they also  _might not be_. It’s too fucking dangerous for you to fucking run in there when there’s a chance they could be halfway home already! I’m not letting you run in there only to get yourself fucking killed! You’re not going to be good to anyone fucking dead! Now close that goddamn door so we can go and meet those other assholes at home!”

“ _We’re leaving_?!” Mini asked in disbelief.

“Yes we’re leaving! We can’t afford to wait here and see if they show up, no matter how much I fucking wish we could. There’s cops fucking everywhere, Mini, and if they see us, we’re dead. We have to get out of here  _now_. We’ll meet the others at home.”

Mini looked back into convenience store in the vague hopes that he’d see Evan stumble out the back door with Brock and Brian in tow, fire still raging behind them but not licking at their skin. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to see them walking towards them, breathing in the clean air, laughing at how ridiculous the past hour had been, happy and pleased that they had all survived it.

Instead, all Mini saw was an emergency exit lying wide open and two firemen running to the doorway and peering inside. Reluctantly, Mini leaned over and shut the car door before immediately sinking into the corner, hugging his knees to his chest. 

Tyler sighed as he let go of him and turned back to the steering wheel. He restarted the car and turned it around, heading back the way they had just came. The silence in the car was tense and palpable, only occasionally broken by Tyler muttering reassurances that the others were just fine, and that neither of them had any reason to worry. Whether he was trying to reassure him or himself, Mini wasn’t quite sure.

The adrenaline that was coursing through his veins all night was beginning to wear off, and the full weight of everything they had just gone through was beginning to hit him. Mini fucking up and revealing Brock’s name to people who weren’t supposed to know it. Evan killing the clerk without hesitation. Brian begging them not to shoot him. Brock being forced to point a gun at the guy Mini was sure he was crushing on. Cops shooting at them. The gas station exploding. Everything around it burning. Police dying.

The fact their best friends could be hurt or dead right now and they had no way of knowing.

Everything he and the others had done that night was beginning to sink in, and Mini felt overwhelmed with guilt and worry, and was suddenly finding it more difficult to breathe. His breath was quickening and he could feel tears burning behind his eyelids, but he was just barely holding himself together.

It wasn’t until half and hour later, after Tyler had parked their stolen car under a bridge and was finished coating it with gasoline that he let himself break down. Mini was standing off to the side, arms wrapped around himself in an attempt to protect himself from the cold chill in the air, watching as Tyler lit a match and flicked it onto the car. Seeing it burst into flames only reminded him of the convenience store, of his friends, and he couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

The second he started crying, Tyler’s arms were around him in an instant. One arm was wrapped around his waist, the other cradling his head as Mini sobbed into his shoulder. Tyler whispered soft reassurances into his ear as Mini entangled his fingers into his shirt, Tyler trying his best to comfort him in spite of the fact he was slowly unraveling himself.

It wasn’t until they were both alone in the dead quiet of the night that Mini allowed himself to fall apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been waiting so long to write some action, SO LONG.
> 
> Anyway, life and school is getting a bit hectic and stressful, but I'll try and keep updating this as regularly as I have been so far, but if the break between this part and the next is a long one, well I hope you understand why.


	5. Donezo

The walk back to the apartment was long and arduous. Mini and Tyler had hardly said a word to each other since they left the burning car under the bridge, too wrapped up in their own thoughts to speak. Their shoulders lightly bumped together as they walked a little too close to each other, the feather touches reassuring them that the other was still there, was still alive, was still breathing. Mini was half tempted to reach out and grab Tyler’s hand for a little extra comfort but didn’t, and instead kept his wrists tucked under his armpits in a feeble attempt to keep himself warm.

When they finally arrived home only to find that the others weren’t waiting for them like he’d hoped, Mini’s heart sank in disappointment. They’d been split up for an hour and a half at that point, and their friends hadn’t yet made it back, which only made him think the worst. Tyler gently rubbed his shoulder and told him not to give up hope just yet, before leading him into the kitchen so he could tend to Mini’s neglected bloodied wrists.

As Tyler cleaned up his small cuts and laboriously plucked the tiny glass fragments out of his wrists, Mini watched Tyler’s face. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and he was biting his lip ever so slightly. His eyes were a little red from when they had both broken down by the bridge, and even though he had yet to look in a mirror, Mini was sure he looked worse.

Every little caring graze and brush of Tyler’s fingers against his skin as he tended to his wounds made Mini’s chest swell. Maybe he was imagining things, but to him it felt like they had both grown closer after the night’s events. He felt a tighter bond with Tyler than he’d ever felt before, and he found himself craving to be closer to him. Every gentle tap on the shoulder or light caress on his arms, or any little touch whatsoever was welcomed, and there was always a brief second after he pulled his hand away that Mini wanted to grab it and put it back on his skin where it belonged.

Not to mention the fact that neither of them were aware of the fates of their friends, for all they knew, they only had each other left. That was enough to bring anyone together.

But Tyler had finished bandaging him up twenty minutes ago, and now they were stuck playing the waiting game. Mini was now leaning on the kitchen counter nursing a half full glass of whiskey, idly watching Tyler incessantly pace back and forward in the living room. Tyler had also poured himself a glass, but had abandoned it on the counter in favour of taking swigs directly from the bottle instead. 

The had prepared themselves and the living room in the event that the others came home injured. Mini’s sofabed was pulled out to act as a makeshift hospital bed and gurney, just like when Tyler had gotten shot. The first aid kit was sitting open next to the sink, all of the tools inside clean and sterilized, ready to use. They had both changed into their bed clothes and removed their masks for maximum comfort, and hid the masks and guns behind the vent in Evan’s closet where all of their crime related possessions were kept.

All they needed now was the patients.

As Mini took another sip of his drink, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu, and he frowned. “Y’know, this is eerily similar to when Brock and I were waiting for you and Evan to come home last week,” he commented, and Tyler seemed to be surprised that he spoke. Not that he blamed him, as Mini had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since they left the convenience store.

“Yeah?” Tyler asked hesitantly.

“Yeah,” Mini nodded. “A lot of waiting around doing nothing, a lot of worrying, and hoping nothing bad had happened.”

Tyler’s eyes flitted away for a moment and he broke eye contact, a look of guilt washing over him as he took a hard swig of whiskey from the glass bottle. “I’m sure they’re fine, Mini, and they’ll be home any minute now. Just you wait.”

As if on cue, the front door swung open and in stumbled Brian, face covered in blood. In his hands was a charred black hoodie that wasn’t his own. Evan had a tight grip on his collar like a father tugging along his disobedient son, his own hoodie missing. Noticeable red splotches and blisters ran down the length of Evan’s left arm, and his skin had obviously being burnt. His other arm was wrapped around Brock’s waist as he helped him limp into the apartment, and Brock was clutching tightly onto the bag of money they had stolen. Both Evan and Brock were still wearing their masks, but they all seemed relieved to see them nonetheless.

Mini downed the rest of his whiskey, ignoring how the liquid burned the back of his throat before making a beeline for Brian. He was the only one who was bleeding as far as he could tell, and therefore decided that he was the one in need of medical attention most. Mini lightly grabbed his arm and lead him over to the kitchen area and sat him down on a chair next to the sink, and began to fill it with hot water.

“I’m so glad you guys are okay,” Brock said sincerely, and Mini only then realised that they were as worried about he and Tyler as he and Tyler were worried about them. He was so caught up in his own anxiousness that he never stopped to think about the possibility that the others could be feeling the same about them.

“What the fuck happened?!” Tyler asked as Mini lightly gripped Brian’s chin and began to examine his face. His cheek was covered in tiny cuts and minuscule glass fragments, much like his wrists were earlier before Tyler got to them. The lens of his stolen aviators were scratched and scored and even though Mini didn’t know exactly what happened to him, he guessed that he likely would have lost that eye if it weren’t for those sunglasses. Besides needing one or two paper stitches, he was otherwise alright.

“Dude this is fucking gay,” Brian commented, obviously uncomfortable with how close Mini was to his face.

“Do you want me to help or not?” Mini shot back as he wet a cloth in the warm water before beginning to lightly wipe away the blood on his face.

“ _Somebody_  shot one of the gas pumps and blew up the entire fucking gas station,” Evan grumbled in response to Tyler’s earlier question as he led Brock past Tyler and over to Mini’s sofabed, helping him lie down with his twisted ankle propped up.

“Hey! I got rid of the cops, didn’t I?” Brian exclaimed, and Mini tightened his grip on his chin to keep him from moving his head so much.

“We were all lucky to survive,” Evan replied harshly, and Tyler offered him some of his whiskey, which Evan graciously accepted. He tugged his mask off and tossed it aside, before taking a swig from the bottle and politely asking Tyler to go get Brock some ice.

“Well, I promise to be more careful next time, alright?” 

“Next time?” Evan chuckled darkly. “You think there’s going to be a  _next time_?”

“...Isn’t there?” Brian asked unsure, and Mini shuffled closer to him to give Tyler access to the freezer behind him where they kept the ice packs.

“No, there isn’t. I think after blowing up a gas station and wiping out a third of the police force, it’s safe to say we’re done.”

“You’re done?!” Brian exclaimed surprised and jolted his head again, much to Mini’s annoyance.

“Would you keep your head fucking still?! You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be,” Mini scolded as he took a pair of tweezers out of the first aid kit so he could start removing the glass from his cuts. “And Vanoss; run that arm under a cold tap for fucks sake,” he added, making sure to remember to call him by his codename in front of Brian. He was not making that mistake again.

“We’re really done?” Tyler asked as he sat down on the end of the sofabed and propped Brock’s leg on his lap. He then placed the ice pack on his injured ankle, and Brock tugged off his own mask so he could smile gratefully at him.

“Yes, we’re done,” Evan sighed as he slipped past Mini so he could gain access to the kitchen sink, and turned on the cold tap. “Mini was right. The money really isn’t worth the risk. We’ll find another way to pay for rent.” He held his burnt arm under the cold running water and hissed as his damaged skin began to sting and burn.

“You’re all a bunch of pussies,” Brian scoffed. “One job goes wrong  _one time_ , and you all just fucking quit? Just like that? What kind of fucking gang are you?”

“We’re not a fucking gang  _at all_ , dumbass,” Tyler replied with an exaggerated eye roll.

“What? Of course you’re a gang! You’re a bunch of criminals in fucking animal masks that wave guns around and kill people! You’ve got a medic and a hardass leader for fucks sake! If you’re not a gang, then what are you?!”

“I don’t know, but we’re not a fucking gang!”

“Well Weazel News seems to think so!”

“It doesn’t matter what we are or what anybody else thinks we are,” Evan cut in, putting an end to their little argument. “We’re done robbing stores now, at least for a little while. It’s too dangerous. Besides, Brian, you’re not a part of this. You don’t get a say in what we do or don’t do, especially after the shit you pulled back there.”

“Well to me, it doesn’t sound like any of  _them_  are getting a say either,” Brian pointed out and gestured to the other three men in the room.

“I’m all for quitting,” Mini piped up, putting down the tweezers and picking up the cloth again to finish cleaning Brian’s wounds. “I’ve been against this since the beginning. If you boys want to stop then I’m all for it.”

Mini had never been secretive about how much he didn’t want to commit crimes. Ever since he almost lost Tyler that first night, he had been avidly against it and only went along with it because he knew there was no changing the others’ minds. After everything that happened this past night, from Evan shooting the cashier to the gas station exploding, to Mini spending the past few hours thinking that all but one of his friends were dead, Mini was ready to call it quits. 

“Yeah, I’d rather not go through any of that again either,” Brock admitted, and Mini was inclined to agree.

“Wildcat?” Evan voiced, glancing over to him.

“Shit, I don’t know,” Tyler admitted, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, the money is real fucking nice, but...”

“...But you don’t know if it’s worth the risk of losing someone,” Brock finished for him, and Tyler nodded, eyes flitting to Mini for half a second before he focused back on Evan.

“Well then it’s settled,” Evan said decisively, still running his burns under the cold water. “We’re done. We’ll discuss how we we’re going to afford rent from now on another time, but right now, I think we could all use a little break from stress for a while,” Evan smiled.

“Fuck yes!” Tyler breathed in relief and fell back onto the sofabed, Brock’s ankle still resting on his lap. Brian sulked and silently fumed at the decision but didn’t argue any further.

As Mini finally finished cleaning Brian’s cheek and started to apply the paper stitches, the conversation turned back to the robbery. Tyler was curious as to what exactly happened when they all got split up, and Brock animatedly regaled the tale with occasional input from Evan and Brian, starting with when they first entered the store and left him alone in the car.

Brock told him everything from the very beginning, including the things that Mini had already known about. He explained how they met Brian and how much he hated having to point a gun at him, and showed him the sizeable bruise the security camera left after it hit him. He told him about how Mini had slipped up and called him by his real name which led to Evan shooting the cashier, and Mini felt a pang of guilt at the reminder. He explained how panicked he felt when he heard Tyler warn them about the police, and how they were already getting shot at before they had a chance to follow Mini to the getaway vehicle.

After that, things got hectic. Brian pulled out a gun and the two of them got into position on either side of the door to fend off the police while Evan emptied the register. Brian claimed to have an idea on how to get rid of them and Brock barely had time to get into cover before the gas station exploded. The force of the explosion knocked Brian off his feet and onto the broken glass from the shattered automatic doors on the floor. The alcohol behind the counter caught fire and in turn, so did Evan’s sleeve, and Brock had barely grabbed the nearby fire extinguisher in time.

With the building quickly going up in flames, they hurriedly made their escape out of the emergency exit around the back. The police followed after them, and the trio spent the next hour or so running up and down different alleyways trying to shake them off until they eventually lost them after hiding in a bush near the freeway. At some point during the run, Brock tripped and fell on his ankle twisting it, forcing Evan to have to half carry him the rest of the way.

“We were so worried about you guys,” Brock admitted. “I mean, we knew you had left the gas station before it blew up, but the doubt was still there, y’know?”

“Nah, we were long gone by then. There wasn’t a chance in hell we were getting hit by it. We were close enough to see and hear it, and that’s about it,” Tyler explained, and Brock smiled in relief.

“Good. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you had got caught in that.”

“Right back atcha, buddy,” Tyler replied and patted him on the leg next to where he still held the ice pack.

Mini finished putting in Brian’s paper stitches and examined his wounds one last time, before taking a step back, declaring it a job well done. “There! Good as new,” he said, and began to put away the medical supplies he wasn’t going to need when tending to Evan. “You’re free to go.”

“’Go’?” Brian repeated as he got up off the kitchen chair and walked into the living room out of the way. “You don’t seriously expect me to walk home by myself after everything that happened, do you?”

“You... want to stay here?” Evan asked, unsure how he felt about that. He allowed Mini to gently tug him away from the sink after turning off the tap and sit him down on the chair Brian had just vacated, accepting the towel he was offered and began to dry off his arm.

“I don’t know... maybe? Or even a lift home would be nice.”

“No, it’s fine. You can stay here,” Brock decided for them, before glancing over at Evan. “Right, Vanoss?”

“Well, where’s he going to sleep, Moo?” Evan asked with a sigh. He always found it difficult to say ‘no’ to him.

Brock thought that over for a moment, sly smile and a slight blush gracing his features when he came up with a solution. “Well, if you don’t mind sharing a bed with Mini instead for the night, Brian could always bunk with me?”

Tyler’s head whipped around and he shared a knowing look with Mini, just like he did every time Brock talked about Brian in front of them. Mini couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at his lips, but chose to ignore his best friend for the time being. “Do I get a say in this?” he asked.

“Don’t worry Mini, I promise I won’t cuddle you too much,” Evan joked and Mini laughed at the implication, not noticing how Evan’s words seemed to wipe the grin off Tyler’s face.

“So he can stay?” Brock asked hopeful.

“Yes, he can stay, but just for tonight. There really isn’t enough room in this apartment for five grown men.”

Brock beamed at Evan and Evan couldn’t help but smile too, and Brian cheered. “Cheers, man. You’re not that big of an asshole after all,” he said, ignoring the look Evan shot him in favour of helping Brock up off the sofabed so they could finally get some sleep. Brock pointed his bedroom out to him and the two quickly hobbled off to bed. “So, ‘Brock’ huh?” was the last thing they heard before the door shut behind them.

Mini smiled fondly to himself as he took a tub of aloe vera out of the first aid kit. There was no reason for Brian having to share a bed with Brock, when he could have just shared with Mini and stopped Evan having to move at all, but they weren’t going to point that out to Brock. They may enjoy being assholes to each other, but they weren’t cockblocking assholes, and no matter how much Brock denied it, his little crush was obvious and they were all rooting for him.

As Mini twisted the lid off the aloe vera and began carefully applying it to Evan’s burns, Tyler got up off the sofabed and stretched out his long limbs. “Y’know Evan, if you want, you can take my bed and I’ll share with Mini tonight,” Tyler offered, and Mini was surprised at the suggestion. “Since you’ve injured your arm and all and I’m fine, I figured you might want the more comfortable bed,” he quickly added when he noticed Mini’s confusion.

Evan on the other hand, seemed to be amused at his offer, and had a slight smirk in his expression. “No, it’s fine, Tyler. My arm’s going to bother me no matter where I sleep, and there’s no point in us moving around more than we have to. I can sleep on the sofabed, don’t worry about it.”

Tyler opened his mouth to say something further but stopped himself, and clenched his jaw instead, an action that only made Evan’s smirk grow. Tyler seemed to quietly fume at him which only made Mini more confused, before turning around and heading off to bed, wishing them a hasty goodnight. Evan chuckled lightly to himself and shook his head, greatly amused at Tyler’s reactions.

Mini had no idea what just happened. Did he miss something? 

“What was that about?” he asked as he continued to rub aloe vera all over Evan’s arm.

Evan shook his head again, still grinning at something or other. “Don’t worry about it,” he waved him off, and in spite of his curiosity, Mini let the subject drop.

If something was bothering Tyler, Mini was sure he’d tell him sooner or later. Mini was almost always the person Tyler went to first if something was wrong, and even after all the secrets he kept from him last week, Mini doubted that had changed. Even though he desperately wanted to know why he had just acted so weirdly, Mini didn’t press Evan any further. Tyler will talk to him about it when he’s ready, and Mini will be willing to lend him an ear when that time comes. 

It’s what any best friend would do.

\----

Mini woke up the next morning with a start.  His breathing was shallow and erratic as he took stock of his surroundings, slowly realising that he was no longer in a nightmare. He took a heavy sigh and deep breaths as he tried to calm his frantically beating heart, holding his head in his sweaty palms. It was just a bad dream.

His tired mind had forced him to relive the robbery in his dream, the screams from the dying police and the boom of the explosion echoing in his mind. He remembers climbing out of the car and running into the burning convenience store, Tyler choosing not to stop him this time. The smell of smoke seemed so real as he carefully stepped around burning furniture, his heart dropping at the sight of three still bodies on the floor. 

As if the sight of his friends’ charred corpses wasn’t enough to freak him out, standing still and watching helplessly as Tyler got shot by a cop right between the eyes sent him over the edge and he promptly woke up, panting in horror.

Mini closed his eyes and laid on the sofabed for a few moments, breathing in and out slowly as he calmed himself down. Once his heart rate had slowed to a more regular pace, he opened his eyes again and noticed it was morning. Evan was no longer lying next to him in bed and had presumably left to go on his routinely morning run. 

Once he found his glasses on the floor, Mini slipped them on and climbed out of bed. He stretched out his stiff back and shoulders, before wandering off to go the bathroom, wondering if anyone else had gotten up yet. He splashed some water on his face and examined his appearance in the mirror. He looked a little better than he did last night, but the bags under his eyes still left him looking a little worse for wear. He desperately needed a shower and needed to change the bandages on his wrists, but all of that could wait until after breakfast.

After he was finished his usual bathroom routine, Mini headed back into the living room but stopped upon hearing voices coming from one of the bedrooms.

“I still can’t believe you were going to let me shoot you...” he heard Brock softly murmur on the other side of the wooden door.

“Nah, I knew you never would have done it,” Brian replied in a tone just as soft and gentle, and Mini could hear the smile in his voice. “I was more worried about your boss than you, to be honest.”

“Vanoss?” Brock asked, and then sighed. “I swear he’s a good guy, Brian. He’s not the type that would just... shoot people like that normally, none of us are. We’re just going through some hard times at the moment, and well, desperate times call for desperate measures...”

“No kidding,” Brian replied, and then Mini heard some ruffling sounds as he moved around. “Say, how’d a nice guy like you get caught up in a thing like this, anyhow?”

“It’s a long story...” Brock chuckled lightly.

“I’ve got time.”

“Mini? What are you doing?” a much louder voice in comparison to the soft voices in the bedroom asked, and Mini nearly leaped out of skin in surprise. Embarrassed that Tyler had caught him eavesdropping, Mini shushed him and pushed him towards the kitchen before the other two caught him as well. “Were you spying on the lovebirds?” Tyler asked with an amused smirk.

“No! Of course not! I was just...” Mini tried to find an excuse only to quickly give up and sigh in defeat. “Yeah okay I was. But only for a minute!” he explained as he sat down at the kitchen table, feeling a little ashamed of himself when Tyler started to laugh at him. “Oh shut the fuck and make the pancakes already.” Tyler shot him another grin and began to pull the ingredients out of the cupboards. 

Tyler had been making them all pancakes almost every morning since they moved in together all those months ago, and he always insisted on their breakfast being completely homemade with no store bought batter. Mini didn’t understand why at first as it seemed like a lot of unnecessary work, until he tasted his first one and almost moaned. Homemade pancakes, specifically Tyler’s homemade pancakes, tasted twice as good as any other pancake he’s ever eaten, and he didn’t want to go another day in his life where he didn’t wake up to a plate of his pancakes waiting for him. How that would work after he inevitably moved out and they married other people Mini didn’t know, but until then he was going to eat as many pancakes as he could.

Mini watched idly as Tyler gathered all of the necessary equipment and ingredients on the other side of the kitchen table and began sifting flour into a large bowl, silently wondering how he always knew exactly how much to use without properly measuring. “We should go do something today,” Tyler announced as he gently shook the sieve and tapped it against his palm.

“Like what?” Mini asked, eyes locked on Tyler’s hands.

“Like let’s go see a movie or something. I don’t fucking know,” he shrugged, before carefully pouring a little sugar into the bowl. “I just want to get out of here and do something that isn’t fucking illegal for once. I feel like it’s been ages since we actually did something fun together.”

Mini blinked, eyebrows raising in surprise. “Oh, you meant just the two of us,” he said. It didn’t occur to him that the others wouldn’t be coming too.

“Yeah, just the two of us. Unless you want to take the lovebirds with us,” Tyler asked, nodding towards Brock’s bedroom as he spooned some baking powder and salt into the mixture before grabbing a wooden spoon and beginning to stir.

“I’ll pass,” Mini said dryly, not particularly wanting to spend time around Brock and Brian as they flirted with each other while pretending they weren’t flirting at all, and Tyler chuckled. “What about Evan?”

“He didn’t take us with him to wherever he fucked off to, so why should we take him with us?”

“Fair enough,” Mini replied, and let the room fall into comfortable silence.

Mini quietly watched as Tyler moved on to the next step of the baking process and put some butter into a measuring jug and put it into the microwave. While that was melting, he grabbed two eggs and with one hand, he expertly broke them into a mug, and Mini silently cursed himself for noting how good he was with his hands. The butter was done melting by the time he had finished beating the eggs with a fork, and then he mixed the two together before pouring the mixture into the bowl. He added some milk before he started whisking, and then added some more before whisking again.

Once the ingredients had mixed into a smooth creamy batter that already looked delicious, Tyler turned to the cooker, switched on the hob, and began oiling up the pan. While his back was turned, Mini sneakily grabbed the electric whisk and removed the prongs so he could safely lick the batter and it tasted as good as it looked.

Tyler turned around to grab the bowl and fondly rolled his eyes when he noticed him. “Really, Mini?” he asked with a smirk as he transferred the mixture from the bowl to the measuring jug, and Mini merely shrugged his shoulders and continued cleaning off the utensil with his tongue. Tyler’s gaze seemed to linger on him for a moment before he hastily turned back to the stove, and Mini wasn’t entirely sure as to whether or not he imagined it.

Tyler poured some of the batter into the pan and let it cook for a few minutes, and Mini could feel his stomach rumble as he caught a whiff of the delicious scent. Tyler lifted the pan off the hob for a brief second, and easily flipped the pancake as he had done many times before, and then let the other side cook. Once it was ready, he put it on a plate and then started the process again.

In no time at all, a small stack of pancakes had been produced and Tyler set the pan aside for a moment. “What do you want on them?” he asked as he peered into the cupboard for the toppings.

“Um... honey?”

“Yes darling?” he joked, and then cackled at the indignant look Mini had shot him before grabbing the honey he had requested. 

Tyler handed him the plate of pancakes and the jar of honey, allowing Mini to slather it on himself. Mini quickly drenched his breakfast with his desired topping, licking his lips in anticipation. Normally he wouldn’t have something so sweet and would opt for something much healthier, but after the ordeal they had gone through the night before, he felt as though he deserved a treat.

Mini grabbed a fork from the drawer behind him and tucked into his breakfast, making a pleasant humming sound as he took his first bite. The honey was sweet, and the pancakes were soft and fluffy, just the way he liked them. “You’ve got to teach me how to make these sometime,” he commented, before scarfing down a second mouthful.

“Sorry buddy, but it’s an ancient family recipe and you’re not family,” Tyler replied with a smirk and turned back to the stove to finish making the rest of the pancakes now that Mini was seen to.

“Then I’ll just have to marry into your family then.”

Tyler audibly laughed at his remark. “Really? Who’re you going to marry then? My sister?” he scoffed. “She’s a bitch and you can do much better honestly.”

“It’ll be worth it. Fuck, I’ll marry you if I have to,” Mini said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he had a chance to think twice about them.

Tyler laughed, though it seemed a little forced. “Oh yeah, I can’t wait for that fucking shotgun wedding,” he drawled as he flipped another pancake.

“What’s wrong with marrying me? I’m too good for your sister but not good enough for you? Is that it?” Mini asked in what he hoped was a lighthearted tone, hoping Tyler didn’t notice that he was a little hurt that he rejected him, even if he was only joking to begin with. Mini honestly wasn’t sure  _why_  that hurt him in the first place. They were only friends, and friends’ hearts don’t crack when they imply they wouldn’t want to marry them... do they?

Tyler opened his mouth to say something but then clamped it shut again, biting back his words, a sad look on his face. “Just eat your fucking pancakes,” he muttered lowly, and then turned to smirk at him. “The quicker you eat the pancakes, the quicker you can take a shower and stop looking like shit. I’m not going to the movie theater or wherever with a fucking hobo.”

“Fuck you,” Mini spat back with no real venom in his words, relieved that Tyler had reverted back to his normal self and the odd, sad moment they shared had passed as quick as it came.

\----

The movie was awful, and Mini didn’t know why they expected otherwise from a film that was only shown in the middle of the day. Their first clue that it was going to be horrific should have been the fact that the employee laughed at them when they bought the tickets, but they carried on and watched the movie regardless. Within the first half hour, they were met with terrible CGI and some of the worst dialogue they’ve ever heard, and instantly knew that they were in for an experience.

They took advantage of the fact that they were the only two people in the screen and spent the full hour and a half being obnoxious and loud. They made fun of the film from start to finish, talking and laughing loudly, glad they didn’t have to keep quiet out of worry that they were annoying anyone else in the room. Tyler’s snarky comments about the plot and the writing never failed to make him laugh, and in spite of the movie being one of the worst he’s ever seen, Mini walked out of the movie theater grinning from ear to ear.

His chest felt light and Mini didn’t realise how stressed he was this past week until he was allowed to let loose without worrying that they’d soon get arrested or shot or something equally horrendous. He had fun with Tyler just like he used to back before any of them had started committing armed robberies, and it felt so good knowing that everything was back to normal.

They were both joking around and talking about the film in Tyler’s truck on the way home when they heard sirens. They both experienced a brief moment of panic thinking they’d been caught but his shoulders sank in relief when the police car sped past them. Mini watched in curiosity as it pulled up in front of a nearby store, and immediately there was gunshots. Tyler swore at him to duck his head as they drove past the scene and Mini did as he was told, but not before he caught a glimpse of the criminals.

Standing outside the store were two men in masks, not unlike the ones they wore, shooting at cops just like they had the night before. The shorter of the two was wearing some sort of monkey mask and a red hoodie, and was armed with a pistol just like his partner. A much larger sniper rifle was draped across his back but was not currently in use. The other man was dressed in green with his underwear pulled up way too far and was much taller, almost as tall as Tyler, his face covered with a brown paper bag. Something seemed to be drawn on it but Mini didn’t get a good enough look at him to see what it was.

Once they had driven far enough away and it was safe to do so, Mini lifted his head back up and Tyler sat up straight again. “Fuck, that was close,” Tyler said, not quite believing what they had just witnessed. “I think that’s the same store Evan and I robbed the first time. Fuck, I think we actually ran into those assholes that night too.”

“What?!” Mini exclaimed in shock. “You never told me you ran into a fucking gang!”

“I forgot, okay?!” Tyler snapped at him. “It’s not like anything fucking happened anyway. We saw them, then hid in an alleyway until they left. They didn’t even notice we were there,” he explained, and then added after a moment of thought “The chimp looked taller last time though.”

“Maybe it was the angle?”

“Maybe,” Tyler mused. “But the point is, they didn’t see us and we’re fine. Alright?” Mini nodded. “Good. Now, can we go back to making fun of that clusterfuck of a movie, because I’m sick and tired of talking about those fucking robberies.”

Mini smiled at him and nodded again, silently glad Tyler felt the same way he did about talk concerning their crimes. The conversation quickly went back to the awful film as requested, and soon they were laughing and joking around again, the robbery they had just witnessed falling into the back of their minds, easily forgetting about it. 

Things had just gotten back to normal, and Mini wasn’t going to let anything change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder who those two criminals at the end could be hmmm.... ;)
> 
> Also, because I realise that there's at least one or two of you that are only reading this fic because of the h2ovanoss tag up there, I feel like I should warn you that Delirious isn't showing up in this fic for another few chapters, and it'll be a while after that before he ever interacts with Vanoss. So prepare to wait a while to see anything in that regard. It'll come... eventually? Just not as soon as you'd probably like. :P


	6. House Call

The gas station explosion was all Weazel News could talk about for days. Every single news broadcast started off with the same top story on how four masked figures robbed a convenience store and then blew up the gas station next to it. The anchor always painted them as hardened criminals with no regard to others’ lives, and Mini hated being spoken about like that. He could understand why the’d think that about them, but that didn’t make him dislike it any less.

In spite of the fact that he destroyed every security camera, they somehow managed to recover some footage of them outside and inside the store. The first short clip showed their car pulling up and then Brock and Evan hopping out and running into the store before being quickly cut off by Mini shooting down the camera. The second clip carried on from the first and showed them enter the store and point their guns at the cashier and Brian, who’s faces were blurred out. Again, the feed was cut off by Mini destroying the camera.

Seeing himself on the news like that doing the things he was doing made him feel uneasy and guilty. He knew what he did was wrong, but seeing it from another perspective just made him feel worse. He was already having nightmares every night about the robbery, and the more he watched Weazel News and listened to what they had to say, the more he was beginning to think he deserved them. So many lives were lost and it was partially his fault. Why should he be allowed to sleep soundly at night when many families out there were missing loved ones?

The gas station explosion caused a huge blaze that spread the whole way down the block. Other stores were destroyed and homes were lost, and it took days for the fire brigade to extinguish all of the flames. The whole street was now a black charred mess and it was unlikely that any of it was going to be fixed and rebuilt anytime soon.  Any time they had to drive into that part of the city, Tyler would purposefully avoid driving down that street for which Mini was grateful. He wanted to avoid reliving those memories or experiencing any more guilt than he needed to.

Currently the busty blonde anchor was interviewing one of the victims of the fire, and Mini reclined back into the couch, hugging the pillow to his chest a little tighter as he listened to them recount their traumatizing experience. The poor woman was getting visibly upset the further into the story she got, and the more she struggled to hold back tears, the more Mini became overwhelmed with guilt.

Suddenly the channel changed to a cartoon he didn’t recognise, and Mini looked up to see Tyler holding the remote. “I told you to stop watching that shit,” he reminded him in a stern tone and sat down next to him, throwing his arm around the back of the couch. 

Mini sighed. “I know. I just couldn’t help myself.”

“Well fucking stop. It’s not good for you,” Tyler said, his expression softening in concern. Mini smiled, flattered to know that he cared, his skin tingling.

As Tyler flicked through the channels to try and find something decent to watch, Mini pulled his attention away from the screen to look towards Evan at the kitchen table. Evan was watching them with an amused smirk, bills, receipts, and other paperwork scattered in front of him, momentarily forgotten. His smirk only seemed to grow when Mini made eye contact with him, and he shook his head affectionately as he turned back to the documents in front of him.

Mini was about to question him on what he was thinking when the front door was suddenly kicked open, and Brian was thrown into the room, hitting the floor hard with an audible thud. All three of them looked to him in shock as he hissed on the carpet in pain, and watched on in a mixture of surprise and confusion when another three men sauntered in.

The first of which was notably shorter than the others and was dressed head to toe in leopard print with a matching cat mask, red scarf loosely hanging around his neck. In his hands was an AK-47 that he immediately pointed at both him and Tyler on the couch, and Mini’s breath hitched as he stared down the barrel. The second man was in yellow with what could only be described as a red sock pulled down over his head. He was carrying a gun that Mini didn’t know the name of and ignored the people in the room completely in favour of checking out the other rooms.

The third man Mini instantly recognised and his heart sank. “So you did lead us to their base after all,” Sark mused as he strolled into the room, examining their apartment. “And here I thought you were going to lead us on a wild goose chase,” he added, lightly kicking Brian on the floor but not hard enough to actually hurt him.

The cat grabbed Brian by the back of his hoodie and pulled him up into a standing position before roughly forcing him to sit on the couch next to Tyler. “Fucking Nanners...” Brian muttered under his breath as he fixed his clothes, sending a hard glare at the man in question who merely giggled at him.

The other unnamed man exited one of the bedrooms, his gun poking into Brock’s back as he escorted him into the living room. Brock was pale faced and his eyes widened when he spotted Brian, and then was quickly pushed down onto the couch too. It was tight squeeze on the couch and Mini was pressed up tight against the arm and Tyler’s side, and due to how he was sitting earlier, Mini ended up being tucked neatly underneath Tyler’s arm. If it weren’t for the fact that he was more worried about the two masked men pointing guns at them, then he might have been embarrassed by that. 

“What are you doing here, Sark?” Evan growled, his hands balled into tight fists. He looked like he wanted to pounce on him, but was holding himself back out of fear that Sark’s goons would harm one of his friends on the couch.

“I’m just here to discuss some business,” Sark replied with a light shrug as he approached Evan at the kitchen table. He turned to his men for a moment, and waved his gun in the direction of Mini, Tyler, and Brock. “Give those guys a quick search to make sure they’re not packing any heat.”

Nanners was the one who sprang into action and he let go of his gun, letting it hang from the strap around his shoulder, and motioned for Mini to drop the pillow and stand up. His partner stayed were he was and kept an ever watching eye on everybody else. 

Mini reluctantly did as he was told, reassured he’d be okay by the gentle tap on the back Tyler gave him as he got up. Nanners lightly grabbed his arms and extended them in a T-pose and patted down his body, and Mini felt as thought it were a little degrading. As Nanners patted down his legs, Mini glanced over at Evan to see Sark doing the same procedure with him, a harsh frown and a look of annoyance on his face.

“You’re clean,” Nanners confirmed with a nod, and Mini squeezed himself back into his position on the couch. “You’re up, big guy,” Nanners added and turned to Tyler, motioning for him to stand up next. Mini heard him mutter something under his breath but didn’t quite catch what it was as Tyler pulled himself up from between him and Brian, and Mini returned the favour by giving him a reassuring tap on the back as well.

As Tyler was getting searched, Sark chuckled and spoke up, waving a second pistol in the air. “Really, Vanoss? You carry a gun in your own home? Paranoid much? It’s almost as if you expect three men with guns to burst into your home at any moment,” he joked and Nanners laughed loudly from his side of the room, but Evan merely glared.

“What do you want, Sark?” Evan asked harshly as Nanners waved for Tyler to sit back down and for Brock to stand up. Mini felt the couch shift under Tyler’s added weight as he plopped back down next to him and soon he was pressed up against his side again, close enough to feel his body heat. 

“I need you boys to do a few jobs for me,” Sark said and sat down at the kitchen table, gesturing for Evan to do the same. Evan refused and stayed standing, his arms folded against his chest in an act of defiance.

“I told you we don’t do that anymore,” he reminded him, and Brock was allowed to sit back down again. As he filled the empty space in the couch, Tyler pressed even closer to Mini to give Brock more room, and Nanners rearmed himself with his AK-47.

“I know, which is why I brought my gun toting friends with me instead of just calling you up on the phone. I figured you’d be more likely to listen to me if Nanners and Ohm were around,” Sark explained, and vaguely waved in their direction. “And I was willing to let you guys hang up your masks and retire for good too if you wanted to, but a lot of things have changed in these past few days and I just can’t let you do that any more."

When Evan didn’t say anything, Sark continued and explained himself. “You remember that gas station your little gang and Brian blew up?” Sark asked, Brian wincing at the mention of his name. “Well, I don’t know if you’ve been paying much attention to the aftermath of that little stunt, but it caused a huge fucking fire that pretty much burned every building on the block to a crisp; one of which just so happened to be my Ammunation.”

Mini’s eyes widened as the realization dawned on him, mentally slapping himself for not realising that sooner. He knew Sark’s Ammunation was on that street, he vaguely remembered passing it on the way to the convenience store that night, but he never made the connection of it being one of the buildings that got burned down. It had never occurred to him that the fire could’ve affected someone he knew, and the guilt hit him like a freight train. 

“Now, since you were the ones that were responsible for the damages, I figured it was only fair that you paid for the repairs, and since your primary source of income seems to be robberies, then well, I’m sure you can connect the dots.”

“Don’t you have insurance?” Tyler piped up.

“I have insurance, just not the legal kind that covers my entire store burning down,” Sark clarified with a light shrug.

“Well that sounds like your own fault to me,” Tyler said with a slight grin, and Mini couldn’t tell whether or not he was attempting to lighten the mood.

Nanners giggled at the very least, and Mini was beginning to get the impression that that was something he did a lot. “That’s what I told him!” he exclaimed in a tone that seemed a little too cheery for the situation at hand, and Ohm nodded thoughtfully in agreement while Sark fondly rolled his eyes.

“You don’t seriously expect us to pay the full costs of the damages with the little money we steal from convenience stores, do you? Do you even realise how many stores we’d need to rob to get even close to that amount?” Evan asked and leaned back against the kitchen counter, arms still crossed and a serious frown still tugging at his lips. 

“I don’t care what you do to get the money, Vanoss, just that you get it and get it to me soon,” Sark explained. “Otherwise, I’m going to have to get the money myself-”

“Why don’t you just get the money yourself in the first place?!” Mini blurted out, and when all eyes suddenly turned to him, he instantly regretted speaking. He just didn’t understand why Sark would try to force them to do the dirty work if he was more than capable of doing it himself. 

“Because Mini, Plan B is to kill every single one of you and claim the bounties on your pretty little heads,” Sark told him, smirking when he noticed his shocked expression, and suddenly committing more armed robberies seemed like a good idea. It was a lot more preferable to dying to one of Sark’s goons’ hands at any rate.

“’Bounties’?” Brock asked, confused. “What ‘bounties’?”

“Oh you didn’t hear?” Sark asked, seeming to be genuinely surprised by that. “The police, or what’s left of them anyway, are very ticked off about you guys killing off nearly a third of their workforce. They’ve issued a 10k bounty on each of you, except for Vanoss who’s worth 12k since they’ve pegged him as the leader. Every gang member and bounty hunter I know is after you four, but I’m nice and I like you guys so I’m willing to give you a chance before I kill you for money.”

“How nice of you,” Mini grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes. But internally, his heart was sinking and his stomach filling with dread at the idea of there being people out their actively searching for them because they wanted to kill them for their own personal gain. 

“Wait, ‘four’?” Brian asked, confused, and Mini hadn’t caught onto the fact that Sark hadn’t counted one of them until then. “Do I not have a bounty?”

“No, God no,” Sark chuckled. “They think you were kidnapped by this lot. They have no interest in you whatsoever. I mean, they want to find you and all, but not enough to put money on you,” Sark told him, and Brian sank deeper into the couch in a mixture of disappointment and annoyance. Brock patted his back reassuringly, even if it was an odd thing to be reassuring him on.

“How much money  _exactly_  is it you’re looking for?” Evan asked, turning the conversation back to the matter at hand. He didn’t comment either way on the bounties, but Mini doubted he was pleased about it.

“I still need to talk to somebody about it to find out the exact cost, but I know replacing the inventory alone will cost close to a quarter mil.”

Mini’s jaw dropped. “A quarter of a million?! You want us to give you a quarter of million dollars?!  _Are you fucking serious_?!”

“Well, technically I want you to give me a whole lot more than that. That just covers the damaged inventory. There’s still the repair work of the actual building itself that needs to be accounted for,” Sark explained, and with a slight groan, got up off the kitchen chair. “Now, do you have anymore questions for me? Because I do have other people I need to threaten with large guns today.”

“You said you wanted the money soon. How soon exactly?” Evan asked, and even though he was wondering that himself, Mini half-wished he hadn’t asked him. Sark sounded like he was about to go, and he didn’t want to delay him and keep him and his goons here much longer. He wanted Nanners and Ohm to stop pointing their guns at them so he could breathe freely again.

Sark thought about that for a moment. “I don’t know... I think three, maybe four months is fair,” he suggested, and before anyone had a chance to complain about it, he added “That’s about as long as I’m willing to wait. You’ve got to understand that until my store gets repaired, I’m essentially out of a job. The quicker I get everything up and running again, the better. Besides, that should be enough time for you to scavenge up enough loose change. You’re smart lads, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“Yeah sure,” Tyler scoffed, chuckling a little in disbelief. “Let me just put my fucking hand between the fucking couch cushions and pull out a half a million dollars!”

“That’s the spirit!” Sark grinned at Tyler’s joke, and waved for Nanners and Ohm to follow him. They backed up towards their boss, still pointing their guns at everyone on the couch to discourage them from making a move. “So can I count on you to help me out?” he asked Evan directly, gently placing his confiscated gun onto the kitchen table.

“...We’ll think about it,” Evan said, expressionless, but his shoulders were still tense and it was obvious that he just wanted them to leave.

“You’ll do more than think about it, if you know what’s good for you,” Sark threatened vaguely as he opened the front door, Evan’s eyes watching him like a hawk. He turned and waved to them, smiling pleasantly as if he hadn’t just threatened their lives. “I’ll see you guys later! Good luck!” he said, but paused and said something else before he left. “And a word of advice: find somewhere else to be your base for your gang activity. You shouldn’t work where you live. You want to keep that shit separate, believe me,” he added, and waved one last time before disappearing into the hallway.

Ohm silently followed after him but still gave a wave to be polite, while Nanners was much more enthusiastic. “Bye guys! It was nice meeting you, though it was a shame it wasn’t under better circumstances,” he chimed, waving to them right up until the door had shut with a click.

Once the door had closed, Evan moved to lock it behind them, and Mini let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, glad they were gone. Sark had given them a lot to think about and the realisation that were likely going to have to commit more armed robberies hadn’t quite hit yet. He had spent the past few days celebrating the fact that they could all live happily and safely again, and now that was painfully torn away from him. Suddenly the nightmares he’d been having every night about one or all of them dying in the middle of a robbery felt very real and very likely, and he suddenly found it harder to breathe.

Desperate to distract himself from his ill thoughts, Mini got up off the couch and made his way into the kitchen. “Hey Brian, let me take those paper stitches out for you while you’re here,” he suggested, hoping the task would help take his mind off his vivid nightmares.

Brian got up and followed him into the kitchen area, but was stopped by Evan before he could sit down. “You led them here,” he said in a sharp tone, frowning disapprovingly, and taking advantage of the few inches he had on him to seem as intimidating as possible.

“And Moo Moo always tell me that you’re not always a scary motherfucker, but I have yet to see that,” Brian chuckled nervously in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Evan was unamused. “Look, Sark didn’t give me a choice. He gave me an ultimatum and told me that if I didn’t take them here, then he was going to have Nanners kill-” he stopped talking, eyes widening when he realised that he almost revealed something he shouldn’t have.

Evan eyed him skeptically and leaned in towards him. “He was going to have Nanners kill who?” he questioned.

Brian fidgeted on the spot, clearly not wanting to answer the question, but knowing that he had to. He locked eyes with Evan, and tried to silently reply to him by subtly nodding his head back at Brock, was still sitting on the couch behind them with Tyler, both of whom were oblivious to what he was hinting at.

However Evan seemed to catch on to what he was trying to tell him, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. He seemed pensive for a moment as he tried to figure out why exactly Sark would threaten Brian with Brock’s life of all people, until the reason clicked in his mind, and he smirked at him. “Ahh, I understand,” he said with a nod and soft smile. “I would’ve done the same thing.”

“...Really?” Brian asked with a tentative smile, his shoulders sinking in relief now that he knew Evan wasn’t mad at him any longer. Now that Mini was sure he wasn’t about to witness an argument, he turned back to the task he had set himself and took the first aid kit out of the cupboard and began to sterilize the necessary tools at the sink.

“Really. I think we all would’ve,” Evan confirmed and gave Brian a friendly clap on the shoulder, and Mini nodded quietly to himself in agreement. He knew that if he was given the same deal, he would’ve done the exact same thing. He wouldn’t let Sark, Nanners or anyone hurt Brock or any of his friends. He almost lost them all once, and he’s willing to do anything in his power to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again. They all mean far too much to him for him to let them go without a fight.

Brian silently thanked Evan with a smile and a curt nod, and they soon parted ways; Brian sat down on one of the chairs in the kitchen as he waited for Mini to finish getting ready, while Evan headed off in the direction of Tyler’s bedroom. “Wildcat, a word,” he said, gesturing for Tyler to follow him. Tyler was confused as to why he was suddenly summoned, but got up and half jogged after him regardless.

Brock was the only one left on the couch and he seemed thoroughly confused, not having a single clue as to what was going on. “I have no idea what just happened,” he admitted, and Mini couldn’t help but laugh at his honesty, grinning that little bit more when he noticed the fond smile Brian was trying to hide.

\----

Evan and Tyler had been discussing something or other in Tyler’s room for nearly two hours now, and Mini was beginning to grow concerned. He hadn’t heard a peep from either of them in that time, and considering the timing of their long conversation, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was they were talking about. They had to be discussing something related to what Sark had said, but beyond that, Mini couldn’t fathom what they were doing in there.

He didn’t mind too much though, and was content to listen to Brock and Brian talk to each other in the meantime. As Mini removed the paper stitches from Brian’s cheek, Brock pulled out one of the kitchen chairs next to him and they chatted idly. Mini couldn't follow the conversation at all, and as far as he could tell, they mostly spoke in inside jokes that he wasn’t allowed in on. 

Brock would laugh at almost every one of Brian’s jokes, even the ones that weren’t even remotely funny, and every time he even so much as giggled, Brian’s smile widened into a grin that could light up the whole room. Their hands were both lightly resting on the table, their fingers mere centimeters from touching, and Mini could tell from the way Brock’s digits twitched that he was dying to close the distance between them but was much too nervous to do so.

They were cute, almost sickeningly so, and it warmed Mini’s heart to see them both so smitten, even if neither of them were willing to admit it just yet. It was bittersweet, knowing they were both so happy in spite of everything that was going on around them.

Even though he was happy for both of them, Mini still couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy. They seemed to be handling everything that was happening lately just fine, while he was slowly unraveling at the seams. The stress and worry he had felt before they robbed the convenience store a few days ago was starting to build back up again now that he was faced with the threat of having to throw himself head first back into danger again. The nightmares he’d been having every night were already taking a toll on him and keeping him up at night, he didn’t need his nerves and anxiousness keeping him awake as well.

Plus he was admittedly jealous that they both had someone in their lives to talk to. Mini had never felt lonelier than when he woke up in the middle of the night after a particularly vivid nightmare and there was no one next to him to reassure him that everything was okay. He was all alone in the dark living room, forced to calm himself down as he didn’t want to wake up and bother the others for the comfort he desperately needed.

In those moments, his mind would always drift back to the one night he had shared a bed with Tyler, and Mini would find himself longing for that closeness again. The thoughts always scared him, as it was always Tyler he thought of and never Evan, and he would always shove them to the back of his mind so he could avoid thinking about it too much, and dwelling too deeply on feelings he was absolutely positive he didn’t have.

Tyler was just his best friend, nothing more. He did have to admit that he thought he was cute when he first met him all those months ago. Sure he didn’t have the conventional Pretty Boy good looks that Evan was blessed with, but he was still attractive. He was tall,  _really tall_ , with a cute face, and nice arms, and Mini always loved how-

The bedroom door suddenly opened and Tyler and Evan re-entered the room, knocking Mini out of his thoughts, for which he was thankful. He was beginning to drift down a road he didn’t want to go down. Tyler was carrying his laptop with a bundle of cords looped around his arm and he carried it to the living room, setting it down on the coffee table and beginning to hook it up to the TV. There was something displayed on the screen, but Mini couldn’t see it from the kitchen.

Evan headed to the kitchen area and grabbed one of the chairs, and tugged it towards the couch. “Gather around everyone, we’re having a meeting,” he announced, and gestured for them to join them.

Mini traded a confused, curious look with Brock, before putting the first aid kit away that they had long since finished with, and headed over to where Tyler was setting everything up. He took a seat on the far end of the couch, and Brock plopped down next to him, but Brian was still hanging around the kitchen, unsure as to whether or not he was included.

“Uh... me too...?” he asked Evan hesitantly.

“Yes, you too,” Evan confirmed and waved him over, sitting down on the chair he had pulled over. “You’re the one that got us into this mess, so you’re the one who’s going to help us get out of it,” he added, trying his hardest to hide the bitterness in his voice, but not quite managing it.

Brian bit his lip at his tone, but did as he was told and sat down in the empty space on the couch, sitting a little closer to Brock than what was necessary. “Yeah, that’s understandable. I think Sark expects me to help your gang out anyway,” he sighed, and Brock lightly patted his shoulder with a comforting smile.

“Still not a gang, dumbass,” Tyler corrected, ignoring the face Brian made at him and continued tapping at the keys on his laptop until something displayed on the TV. Microsoft powerpoint flashed up, and Tyler clicked again until the presentation he and Evan had made together had filled the entire screen.

Mini could tell that they had put some effort into it, as it had a fancy blue background and matching wordart to boot. There was even a little clipart image of a bag of money in the corner. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw it, though he had to admit that was kind of cute that they’d go to all this effort for one little meeting between friends.

“Alright assholes, listen up,” Tyler began, clapping his hands together once to gain their full attention. “You all heard Sark this morning. He wants us to pay for all the repairs for his Ammunation, and it’s not going to be cheap. Evan and I did the math, and it’s looking to cost around $350,000, give or take a couple of ten thousand.”

Tyler clicked to go to the next slide, and a line graph appeared on the screen. “As you can see from the statistics here, we get roughly one grand from every store we rob, and if we were to rob one store every single night, it would take us just under a year to gather up that amount of money. We don’t have that much time.”

“Not to mention the fact that we’d need to keep portions of that money for ourselves to pay for living expenses and supplies,” Evan added, and Tyler nodded in agreement. “Especially since Sark is no longer in a position to provide us with free weapons and ammo, so we’ll need to purchase all of that legally from now on. Factor in all of those costs, and it would take us much longer than a year to pay off our debt.”

“Exactly. We don’t have that long, we have four months  _at most,_ and we sure as fuck aren't going to be able to steal $350,000 from tiny ass convenience stores in four fucking months. No boys, we’re going to need to aim bigger,” he smirked wickedly, and clicked onto the next slide, and they were immediately presented with an image of one of the most iconic buildings in Los Santos.

“Is that the fucking Pacific Standard Public Deposit Bank?!” Brian asked incredulously as Mini stared at the aerial photograph of the bank in question with wide eyes.

“You’re not seriously suggesting we rob the fucking  _Pacific Standard_  are you? Do you have a death wish?! Like are you  _out of your fucking minds_?!” Mini exclaimed in disbelief. “The entire place is crawling with security! There’s no fucking way we could pull that off!”

“ _Not right now_ ,” Tyler specified. “Of COURSE we couldn’t pull off that shit right now. We have no experience, we’d be dead in an instant. No, we’re going to work our way up to that shit. We’ll rob a few low key areas first to get enough money for supplies and to get a fuck ton of practice in. THEN we’ll rob the Pacific Standard.” He clicked the next slide and a few pictures of various buildings in the city popped up, including images of liquor stores, Ammunations, and one image of Fleeca Bank. 

“I don’t understand why we don’t just... kill Sark,” Brock suggested meekly, and Mini was inclined to agree. Surely it would be easier to cut off their problems at the source than to follow some convoluted plan that left a lot of room for error, especially a plan where a small mistake was the difference between life and death.

Evan nodded. “We considered that, but his men would be after us the second we lay a finger on him. Not to mention the fact that are certainly other groups of criminals besides us that have a close business relationship with him, and I doubt they’d be too happy with us if we were to cut off their source of free ammo like that. Hell I doubt they’re too happy with us  _right now_  for cutting off their source of free ammo when we accidentally burned all of Sark’s inventory. I’d rather not piss them off any further,” he explained, and Brock nodded in understanding.

“Besides, we won’t get any of the sweet moolah from killing Sark that we’ll get from robbing the bank. Which brings me to my next point,” Tyler said as he progressed the presentation further and another line graph was displayed on screen. “I’m sure you’re all aware that the Pacific Standard has the biggest vault of money in the city, unless you’ve been living under a fucking rock this whole time. Now, I don’t know  _exactly_  how much money they’ve got locked away in there, but I’m guessing the figure is in the billions. Of course, we won’t be able to carry all of that, but we could manage to snag a couple of million at least, which would not only pay off our entire debt to Sark, but will set us up for fucking life! We’ll never have to worry about missing a rent payment again!” Tyler grinned.

“I like the sound of that,” Brian smirked, easily swayed by the large figure for their estimated earnings, but Mini was still not convinced that this was a good idea.

“That’s all well and good and all, but there’s still the small issue of us  _dying_ the second we step foot in the door,” Mini pointed out with a frown, but Tyler still didn’t seem to be worried. If fact, he sincerely smiled at him, and neither that nor the fluttering in his stomach was the reaction he wanted at that moment.

“Don’t you get your panties in a twist, Mini. Vanoss and I have a plan!” he said with absolute confidence, sitting up straight with pride. 

“Well, we have the beginnings of a plan,” Evan corrected.

“We have a plan on how to construct a plan,” Tyler amended finally.

“Thank God. Here I was worried you hadn’t fucking thought this through,” Mini drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“We had two hours! Give us a fucking break! Coming up with all of this shit isn’t fucking bad for two hours!”

“Besides, there’s some things we need to come up with a proper plan that we don’t have access to in this apartment,  _right Wildcat_?” Evan asked, nodding towards the slide in a silent request for him stop arguing and continue the presentation.

Tyler cleared his throat and nodded, clicking onto the next slide that was filled with a bunch of seemingly random but supposedly relevant clipart that Mini couldn’t make any heads or tails of. “Of course. There’s a ton of shit we’ll need to round up before we even think about robbing the joint,” he began. “For example, we’ll need bigger guns because we sure as hell aren’t going to last five minutes in there with the shitty pistols we have now. Sure Vanoss has that sweet SMG, but that’s only going to get us so far.”

Evan nodded, and continued on from Tyler’s train of thought. “This means that we’re going to need to find another Ammunation that’s willing to work with us, since Sark is obviously out of the question."

“Right,” Tyler agreed with a firm nod of his own. “Not only that but we’re also going to need to get our hands on up to date blueprints of the entire building, as it would be fucking stupid for us to go in there completely blind. We all need to have memorized the layout and mapped out all possible escape routes and entry points, otherwise we’ll risk getting ourselves trapped in a fucking corner somewhere, and no way in hell is that going to end well.”

“Some sort of helicopter would be an ideal escape as the police likely won’t be expecting it, but that would mean getting our hands on a helicopter pilot we could trust,” Evan added, before turning to the three of them sitting on the couch. “Unless one of you have a pilot’s license you’ve been keeping to yourself...?”

Mini and Brock shook their heads, and Brian laughed as if it was the most ridiculous question he’d ever heard. “Fuck no! Do you think they’d give us pilot licenses?” he chuckled. “ I don’t know about Mini, but I wouldn’t trust myself to fly a kite let alone a fucking helicopter, and Brocky can barely  _drive_  in a straight line some days!” he joked. 

Brock opened his mouth to defend himself but quickly shut it instead when he didn’t have a good comeback, face flushing in embarrassment, and Brian lightly bumped his shoulder to let him know that he was only teasing. Mini looked to Tyler when he noticed the action, who was already looking back at him with a smile, and he rolled his eyes fondly which in turn made Mini chuckle lightly and grin to himself.

“Alright, so we’ll need a pilot then,” Evan said to bring the attention back to the matter at hand, his own soft smile gracing his features. “In fact, it would be ideal if we could recruit a few more people to help us rob the Pacific Standard. I’m not sure five people is going to be enough, but it’s going to be difficult to find people we can trust not to backstab us at the last minute and make off with the cash.”

“No kidding,” Brian scoffed. “I’ve met some of the criminal types you’re probably looking for from working in the Ammunation, and every single one of them has been sketchy as fuck. I wouldn’t trust a single one of them, and I doubt they’d fucking trust you either.”

Evan nodded. “Which is why I think it would be hard. Not impossible, but definitely hard.”

“But we do have over three months to figure all this shit out,” Tyler pointed out. “Nobody says we need to have the whole heist planned out in one day. I sure as fuck don’t want to plan anything until we can get a look at the blueprints at least,” he added, and the others nodded in agreement.

“So we’re definitely robbing the Pacific Standard then?” Brock asked, just to be sure, and both Evan and Tyler nodded again.

“It’s the only option we have really,” Evan said with a frown. 

“So, now that all of that’s settled; any questions?” Tyler asked and clicked onto the last side, which was printed with the same words he had just said but punctuated with an excessive amount of questions marks.

When nobody spoke up, Tyler nodded to himself and began to shut everything down. “Good. We’ll start planning this shit out properly tomorrow, but for now, I’m fucking starving!”

The room erupted in a chorus of agreements, and the conversation quickly turned around to what type of take out they should order. Tyler closed his laptop and began unplugging everything as Evan stood up and stretched out his back, before carrying his chair back into the kitchen where it belonged.

Mini meanwhile,sank into the couch a little, shoulders sagging and stomach filling with anxiousness and dread at the idea of having to rob the biggest bank in the city. There wasn’t a single part of him that saw this going well, and he was worried for his own safety and for the safety of his friends too. His eyes drifted to Tyler and his heart sank at the thought of him potentially getting shot again, and his lips tugged downwards into a deep frown.

His ill feelings must have been obvious as when Tyler looked up and made eye contact with him, his mood seemed to drop. After Tyler had picked up all of the equipment and began to make his way towards his bedroom, he stopped next to Mini and patted him reassuringly on the knee. “It’ll be fine, Mini,” he said quietly enough that only he could hear, even though the others were far too invested in their pizza versus Chinese food argument to pay attention to them anyway. “None of the things that happened at the gas station will happen again this time. Nobody is going to get hurt, okay?  _You’re_  not going to get hurt. I’ll make sure of it,” he said with such determination that it was hard not to believe him, and Mini nodded.

Tyler patted him on the knee again and Mini watched him stalk off towards his bedroom, still feeling as worried and concerned as he felt before his brief little pep talk. Mini sighed. He just hoped Tyler was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very plot heavy chapter this time :o
> 
> Anyway, important update: the next chapter is likely going to take a little longer to come out than usual. I have a lot of schoolwork due over the next week, and those deadlines take priority over any fanfics I may write in that time. So because of that, I won't have as much time to write updates for this fic, and therefore it'll take me a lot longer to finish and post the next chapter. I'm sorry about that, but it really can't be helped :( School takes priority always.
> 
> In the meantime, you can follow me on tumblr (http://brocksnuckel.tumblr.com/) if you want to. I'm usually hovering around there talking about ships and headcanons and things, if that's something you're into. Again, I'm sorry in advance for the delay, but there'll be plenty of minicat in the next part to make up for it <3


	7. Strawberries

“Welcome to our new base!” Evan exclaimed as he lead the way into the new apartment, arms held wide open as he welcomed them in with a proud grin.

The front door opened up onto a small landing, stairs leading down on their left into the main living area. On the right of the steps were a few fake plants that seemed to be planted in some fake soil on the floor, and a door leading to a side room was just beyond that. From where their group was standing, Mini could only see a large dining table with large windows and a telescope behind it in the main room, but the apartment already looked more expensive than Tyler and Brian’s apartments combined.

“It’s pretty sweet, right?” Evan asked as he headed down the steps, waving for them to follow him. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Evan led them further into the high rise apartment, and Mini was only half listening to him as he pointed out various things in the room. The dining table was big enough to sit at least eight people, though they could possibly fit ten if they grabbed another few chairs. To the right was a modern looking kitchen, separated from the dining area by a marble island and a stove, huge extractor fan hanging from the roof above it. On the left was a corner couch and two arm chairs all surrounding a coffee table, pointing towards a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. Behind the couch were wooden shelves that stretched all the way up to the roof and were filled with books that none of them had ever owned before, never mind read. 

“...and then there’s the bathroom and a bedroom down that way, and then the door you passed on our way in leads to an office. I figured we could use it as a planning room for the bank heist,” Evan concluded, turning back to face them, a wide smile still on his face. “So, what do you think?”

“How much did this place cost...?” Mini asked in amazement as he continued to look around from where he stood, watching idly as Brian and Brock strolled into the kitchen and Tyler investigated the books on the shelves. The entire apartment looked to be nearly double their tight budget, and he didn’t understand how Evan could afford it.

Evan chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Uh... well let’s just say Sark isn’t the only person we owe money too now and leave it at that.”

“Vanoss!”

“It’ll be fine, Mini. We’ll pay him back with the money we steal from the bank. Want to see the office?” Evan was quick to change the subject and lightly placed a hand on his back as he led him towards the room in question.

“How much money do we owe this guy  _exactly_?” Mini asked, persistent to get an answer out of him but let himself be pushed into the other room regardless, oblivious to how hard Tyler was staring at the hand on his back.

The first thing he saw when he went through the door was a computer with dual monitors on the desk, and another smaller laptop sitting next to it. There was a whiteboard and a large map of the island on the wall in front of him, both of which had yet to be marked. The back corner had shelving built into the wall, the left shelves filled with their ammo and weapons, while the right most shelves stored their body armor and heist clothes they had picked up the day before. Mini could spot his suit and Evan’s red leather jacket hanging from the rack, and their masks were all placed on mannequin heads underneath, Brock and Brian’s matching bald eagle masks on either end. Tyler’s white helmet had fallen off his pig mask and lay upside down behind it. 

“I took the liberty of moving all of our equipment here ahead of time,” Evan explained as he shut the door behind them, but was still refusing to answer his question.

“And that’s all well and good, but how much is all of this costing us?” Mini asked again and wandered over to the laptop, noting how much nicer it was than the old laptop Tyler kept in his room. 

“...$500,000 dollars...?” Evan finally answered with a sheepish smile, and Mini’s jaw dropped.

“Half a million dollars?! Are you fucking serious?!”

“Have you seen the view from the living room? A view like that costs money, alright?” Evan replied and folded his arms, leaning against the desk as he talked. “Besides, I’m thinking of living here too so it’s not like it’s a waste of money.”

“Still...” Mini muttered, lightly tracing the keyboard of the computer with his finger. “How’d you even manage to convince the guy to let us use the place when we don’t even have that kind of money yet?”

Evan shrugged. “He’s a friend of mine. He knows I’ll get him the money when we get our hands on it. It’s not a problem.”

“Yeah? Well the last guy you knew broke into our home with large guns threatening to  _kill us_ , so forgive me if I’m not entirely convinced it’s ‘not a problem’!” Mini drawled sarcastically, and Evan couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Fair enough, but you’re going to have to take my word for it, I’m afraid,” he smirked, and Mini sighed in resignation.

“Alright, Evan. I trust you.”

Smiling again, Evan stepped away from the desk and patted Mini on the shoulder. “I’m glad to hear to that,” he said sincerely, and squeezed his shoulder ever so slightly. Evan opened his mouth to say something else, but instead bit his lip and clapped him on the shoulder again. “Let’s join back up with the others,” he said and headed towards the door, and Mini dutifully followed him back into the main room, silently wondering what he was going to say.

It almost seemed like Tyler was waiting for them to return, as his eyes were locked on the door when Evan pushed it open, and he was clearly not paying any real attention to the open book in his hands. “So what were you two up to in there?” he asked as he carelessly flicked over a page, making direct eye contact with Evan, who shrugged in response.

“I was just giving Mini a tour of the office,” Evan told him truthfully, and Mini nodded in agreement.

“ _Alone_?” Tyler asked with an edge in his voice that caught Mini by surprise. Was he really annoyed that they had gone into the office together without them? But why would he be annoyed about that? 

Evan on the other hand, seemed to find his sharp tone hilarious and grinned widely at him. “Yeah, alone,” he clarified, smug smirk on his face. “You got a problem with that, Wildcat?”

Tyler body’s tensed and his lips tightened into a thin white line, eyes glancing towards Mini for half a second before he looked away again. “ _No_ ,” he spat, and slammed the book shut much to Evan’s amusement. 

Mini was confused as to what just happened and couldn’t help but feel as though he were missing something, but before he could question either of them on it however, Brock called out to him and pulled his attention away from Tyler and Evan. “Mini, catch!” he called and tossed him an orange, Mini just about managing to catch it without dropping it.

“Why did you just give me an orange?” he asked puzzled, examining the fruit in his hands as he walked to the kitchen were Brock and Brian were still poking around, leaving the other two to talk among themselves.

“Remember how I promised you I would teach you how to give someone stitches?” Brock asked as he pulled a first aid kit from out of the cupboard beneath the sink, and Mini nodded, curious as to how this was at all relevant to why he was given an orange. “Well, when surgeons are learning how to do this kind of thing, they usually practice on oranges so I thought this would be a good way to teach you how do it!” Brock explained and pulled out a chair at the dining table, gesturing for Mini to do the same.

“So you want me to sew... an orange?” Mini asked as he sat down next to Brock, wondering how on earth that was supposed to work. 

Brock nodded and began pulling out some needles and thread from the kit. “Yeah, I saw it on ‘Scrubs’ once,” he said, and Mini wasn’t sure that show counted as a legitimate source for good medical practices.

“Yeah, well it seems like a waste of good food to me,” Brian piped up from where he was leaning on the kitchen counter, his own freshly peeled orange in hand. He pulled the two halves apart, before plucking off individual slices and popping them into his mouth.

“We’ll see how much of a waste of food this is when I’m stitching you up later on,” Mini said, and Brian shrugged his shoulders a little, conceding his point. “So Brock, what do I do?” he asked and Brock smiled at him before beginning to show him how to thread a needle, both of them unaware of just how often Tyler and Evan were glancing in their direction as they quietly talked off to the side of the room.

\----

Mini knew he was in a dream. He knew what was happening wasn’t real, but he was powerless to stop it. He felt like a ghost trapped in his own body as his legs moved on their own accord and lead him into the bank after his friends. They were all armed to the teeth with guns he had never even seen before in real life, familiar masks pulled firmly over their heads, bulletproof armor hidden under the new clothes they had stolen a few days prior.

His eyes were locked onto the back of Evan’s distinct red leather jacket as he took point and lead the way into the bank, shooting four bullets into the air when he stepped in the door. The patrons shrieked at the sudden loud sound and the screams made him shiver, some of the bystanders reflexively ducking for cover out of fear of getting shot. But Evan didn’t aim his gun at them and instead walked calmly and confidently to the clerk to demand that they fill his gym bag with as much cash as they could fit.

Controlling and keeping the patrons in line was a job their leader had left to them. Mini raised the gun he was holding and began pointing it at anyone and everyone, screaming at them to get down on the ground in spite of his mind pleading him to stop. Sometimes he’d kill innocent people in his nightmares, and this one seemed to be no exception as his dream self quickly put a bullet into a harmless woman’s forehead. Her body hit the ground with a sickening thud, her lifeless dead eyes staring into his very soul, a sight that haunted him every single night without fail.

Mini tore his gaze from the sight to see Tyler, Brock, and Brian all doing the same thing he had done. Brian and Brock stood back to back as they shot a civilian each, them being nearly indistinguishable from this distance on account of their identical bald eagle masks. The pair were surrounded by bodies lying still on the ground, some dead, some merely ducking for cover, and they seemed to move perfectly in sync as they twisted and turned on the spot to keep an eye on the people they had graciously left alive.

Tyler was to his right as always, as his best friend was only very rarely out of reach in his dreams. Mini stood by and watched as he too killed another innocent woman, but what always scared Mini was the almost sadistic cackle he’d let out as he pulled the trigger. The laugh made the hair on his arms stand on end, but no matter how desperately he wanted to tell him to stop, his mouth would remain clamped shut.

But nothing ever went right for them in his nightmares, and this one was no exception.

Mini could only stand by and watch helplessly as everything slowly went to shit.

Brian went down first when a man dressed in blue grabbed a pistol out of the holster on Brian’s belt and shot him with it. He immediately collapsed to the ground, dead in an instant, and Brock flocked to his side. He tossed his gun to the side with a clatter and dropped to his knees, and began desperately pleading for him to wake up. The sight of one of his longest friends violently sobbing tugged hard on Mini’s heartstrings, but he was frozen in place and there was nothing he could do about it.

The police burst through the door not a second later and killed Brock without a second thought, his body quickly crumpling and falling onto Brian’s. Their blood pooled beneath them and mixed together into a sea of red, and it didn’t hurt any less knowing that they went out together.

Ordinarily, Mini would watch Evan suffer a similar fate, but in light of recent events, his nightmare changed. The police faded into obscurity and Sark and his goons waltzed into view instead, cocky smirk ever present on his face. All three cocked their guns and pointed them at him, and Evan would point his back at them in an attempt to defend himself but it never mattered in the end. “ _You owe me,_ ” Sark stated and the trio then unloaded a clip into Evan’s chest.

Before his body even hit the ground, Tyler’s voice rang out in his head.

“ _Mini?_ ”

Mini turned to where he knew Tyler was standing to see him staring at him in a bright white room, eyeing him with a look of concern that matched his tone of voice.

In his dreams, Mini never pictured Tyler wearing his mask. Everyone else always wore theirs as long as the situation demanded it, but Tyler never did. He could always see every little facial expression he made, whether he was smirking wickedly as he murdered with wild abandon, or smiling at him with a soft fondness that made his stomach flip. He always knew exactly how Tyler was feeling, but couldn’t recall an instance in his dreams where he stared at him the same way he was staring at him now.

“ _Mini? Wake up_ ,” he whispered, his voice ringing clear in his head as it echoed all around him. He became aware of someone shaking his shoulders, but Tyler was still stood a few feet away from him and there was no one else in the blank desolate room.

“ _Craig_!”

\----

“Craig!”

Mini opened his eyes and shot upright, almost headbutting Tyler who was sitting on the edge of his bed, hand lightly resting on his shoulder. Mini panted and breathed heavily as his eyes adjusted to the dark room, his heart beating fast and hard in his chest as he slowly came down from the panic he had worked himself into while he was asleep. He took some deep breaths to calm himself down, silently reminding himself that it was just a dream. It was just another nightmare.

“Hey, are you okay?” Tyler asked softly, and looked at him with the same worried expression he wore in his dream. “You’re shaking,” he pointed out, and Mini hadn’t noticed his hands were trembling until Tyler tightly held them in an attempt to get them to stop.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Mini told him, and reluctantly tugged his hands out of his grip despite not really wanting to, choosing to listen to the voice in the back of his mind screaming at him that this was far too intimate and that they needed to stop before things escalated further. Friends didn’t hold hands like that, and they were  _just friends_. “It was just a bad dream, nothing to worry about.”

“I thought as much,” Tyler frowned, and clasped his hands in front of him, taking that as a hint to not touch him any more. “I came out here to get a glass of water, and I saw you squirming and muttering something under your breath in your sleep, so I woke you up. I figured you were having a nightmare.”

Mini nodded. “Yeah, I was, but as I said: it was just a bad dream. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Tyler’s frown deepened, and he was clearly not satisfied with what he had told him. “Well, obviously there must be something to fucking worry about, otherwise you wouldn’t have had a nightmare in the first place,” he pointed out, and Mini broke eye contact and stared down into his lap. “What’s going on?”

Mini closed his eyes and sighed deeply, debating internally as to whether or not he should tell him about his recurring nightmares. “It’s... really nothing major, Tyler,” he said, nervously playing with his fingers. “I’m fine. It’s just a few bad dreams is all. Nothing I can’t handle,” he added, forcing himself to smile at him and hoping that Tyler didn’t notice that his nerves were still frayed.

“’A few’?” Tyler repeated, and Mini silently cursed at himself for letting that piece of information slip. “What do you mean ‘a few’?”

Mini took another deep breath and paused as he tried to figure out what to say, and Tyler waited patiently for his response. “I... these past few nights... ever since we robbed that first convenience store, I’ve... kind of been having bad dreams...” he admitted, biting his lips and looking back down at his hands again.

“Every night?” Tyler asked and Mini reluctantly nodded in response. He felt the weight on the bed shift as Tyler edged closer, and he could see him fidgeting with his hands, as if he wanted to reach out to him again but was afraid of how’d he react. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice soft.

“I don’t fucking know,” Mini groaned. “I just... I just didn’t want you to know.” There was a little more to it than that, but he didn’t divulge any further information to Tyler. He never mentioned that he’d hated how much Tyler has had to reassure and comfort him as of late, and never mentioned how he felt like he was a burden to him. He didn’t tell him that he was worried that he would think he was weak.

Tyler never said anything after that and the room descended into an uneasy silence. Mini was worried for a moment that he might have offended him, but when he looked back up at his face, he noticed that Tyler had a troubled expression, as if he wanted to confess something too but was debating as to whether or not he should say anything at all. “Tyler...?” Mini asked, but he continued to stare down at the floor. “Are you okay...?”

It was Tyler’s turn to take a deep breath, and he craned his neck upwards to look up at the roof for a moment before speaking. “You’re not the only one who’s been having nightmares, y’know,” he admitted, and that took Mini by surprise.

“Really?”

“Mhmm,” he hummed in agreement. “Every night, like clockwork. I uh... that’s why I was awake and looking for water, actually. I just woke up from one,” he chuckled, a little embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Mini smiled at him sympathetically for a second, before quietly laughing to himself, shaking his head. "So we’re both acting like tits then,” he said with an amused grin, and Tyler turned to him, confused. “Both of us have been having nightmares and neither of us bothered to say anything, when this whole time we could’ve been talking it out.”

Tyler once again looked back at the ground, but this time he was sporting a weary smile. “Well when you put it like that...”

Mini nodded, and took in his disheveled appearance. The room was dark, but he could still tell from his messy hair and tense shoulders that Tyler had just woken up from nightmare like he’d said, and hadn’t quite shaken it off yet. He seemed vulnerable, and it was not a sight Mini was used to seeing. Tyler was the kind of person who’d try to act like nothing was bothering him no matter how he felt deep down, and would always try to seem stronger than he actually was. Seeing him now being genuinely distressed over something, broke his heart a little.

“Hey,” Mini said and shuffled over to him so they were sitting next to each other on the edge of the bed. “You don’t have to keep up the tough guy image around me all the time y’know,” he told him and began to lightly and reassuringly rub his back, noting how Tyler’s body seemed to tense ever so slightly under his touch, before relaxing into his hand. “I already know you’re a massive fucking dork that follows his grandma’s pancake recipe.”

“Oh fuck off,” Tyler said with a grin and lightly shoved at his shoulder as Mini openly laughed at his reaction. Tyler smiled fondly at him and bumped their shoulders together. “And you need to remember that you can fucking talk to me about shit. Seriously Mini, I’m always here for you. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Mini replied and couldn’t help but smile at him, feeling butterflies in his stomach. 

His chest was enveloped in a warm fuzzy tingle as he thought of the moment they just shared, but once again Mini found himself questioning these feelings and his smile faltered. He’d caught himself reacting strangely to Tyler a lot lately, and he didn’t understand what that meant. A small part of him proposed a theory, but the rest of him was always quick to shut it down. They were friends, close friends, and nothing more.

“So you know how Brian’s been staying here ever since Evan moved out?” Tyler asked, not noticing Mini’s inner turmoil. “Well I found out why. Apparently Brock’s been going through the same shit we’ve been going through with the nightmares, and bed sharing apparently helps him...” he told him, and was eyeing him warily out of the corner of his eye, cautious of his reaction.

Mini nodded but couldn’t figure out why Tyler was bringing this up  _now_ of all times, until it clicked and his eyes widened in surprise.. “You’re not... seriously suggesting that we...?” he asked, trailing off at the end, his heart beginning to beat faster at the thought of him and Tyler sharing a bed again. But Tyler wouldn’t suggest that... would he?

“Look, I’m just thinking that if it works for them, then maybe it would help our nightmare problems too,” Tyler replied defensively, shrugging his shoulders. “Like I thought if you were having nightmares, and I was having nightmares, and sharing a bed with somebody else helped Brock stop having his bad dreams, then fuck maybe we could do the same thing and solve both of our problems in one go! Because I don’t know about you but I’m sick and tired of waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and am willing to try fucking anything at this point to get a good night’s sleep again. But like, I’m not going to fucking force you into bed with me if you don’t want to. It’s your choice,” he said and turned to look him in the eye, and Mini gulped, his heart skipping a beat.

“I... I don’t know...” he said honestly and broke eye contact to stare at absolutely anything else. 

Suddenly his palms felt sweaty and his heart was racing and he didn’t know what to do. Part of him really wanted to say ‘yes’ and wanted to be that close to him, and the thought scared him. But the other part of him wanted to refuse so Tyler wouldn’t know that he secretly wanted to share a bed with him, and didn’t want to engage in something that intimate with his best friend. But he also  _wanted_  to be that close with him, so close he could feel his body heat and breathe in his scent, and he couldn’t understand  _why_. 

He was conflicted and torn, and his head was in a muddle and he was just so very confused as to what was happening and what he was feeling. Mini didn’t have an inkling as to what to do.

Tyler wasn’t going to wait for an answer though and he soon got up off Mini’s sofabed with a sigh. “Well, you know where to find me if you make up your mind,” he said and patted him on the shoulder before slinking off towards his bedroom. “Night Mini!” he called back as he left the room, door shutting softly with a click, leaving Mini alone with his thoughts in the silent dark living room.

Tyler’s absence did little to slow his rapidly beating heart, and Mini was in half a mind as to whether or not he should just lie down and try to go back to sleep, or follow after Tyler and take up his offer. He knew it would be difficult to fall back asleep now as he was wide awake, and his mind was racing and swimming with thoughts and feelings he couldn’t make sense of. He knew that he’d be likely lying awake for hours unable to fall asleep no matter how much he tried. Not to mention there was the possibility that if he did manage to nod off, then he’d be struck by another nightmare, and he didn’t want that either.

Mini glanced at the closed door and bit his lip. Maybe sharing with him for one night would be worth a try, if it meant possibly not having another bad dream. 

Kicking off the covers, Mini climbed out of bed and slipped on his glasses, before slowly making his way towards Tyler’s bedroom. But just before he grabbed the door handle, he lost his nerve and took a few steps back. Mini began to nervously pace the room as he second guessed his decision, and debated with himself as to whether or not this really was a good idea. 

Eventually Mini got to the point where he thought ‘fuck it’ and pushed the bedroom door open before he could change his mind again. 

He could just barely make out Tyler’s figure in the dark already huddled underneath all his covers, and Mini was suddenly very worried that he might have been intruding. “Um...” he began, and shifted on the spot as he struggled to find the words to ask Tyler to let him join him after all, but luckily he needn’t say anything as Tyler lifted up his blanket and invited him in.

Mini closed the door behind him and walked to where Tyler lay on the far side of the room, nervously rubbing his upper arm. He stopped just beside his bed, and was hesitant about climbing in when he realised just how small Tyler’s bed actually was, unsure if there was even enough room for the two of them. But before he could raise his concerns, Tyler muttered something under his breath, grabbed him by the waist and pulled him on top of him.

Mini landed on Tyler’s chest with an ‘oomph’, and his mind was quickly thrust into a panicked state again. He could feel his cheeks heating up as he felt Tyler tug off his glasses for him and set them aside before pulling the blankets back over them and his face only grew more red when he made no effort to remove the arm that was wrapped around his waist. “Um...” Mini hummed, nervously twitching where he lay. “Maybe we should move to the sofabed since it’s bigger and-!” 

Before he could finish his sentence, Tyler tightened his grip on him and rolled them over so he was now tucked neatly in between Tyler’s body and the wall, and he let out a squeak in surprise as he was suddenly moved. “There, now you can’t fall out,” Tyler mumbled into his hair, and Mini didn’t have the heart to tell him that that’s not what he was worried about. “Now would you keep it the fuck down? If you keep making sounds like that, Brian and Brock are going to think we’re fucking in here.”

“Sorry...” Mini muttered, and let the room fall back into silence. 

They both shuffled around a little until they found a comfortable position, and Mini found himself melting into Tyler’s mattress. He was still very aware of the arm wrapped around his waist and Tyler’s hot breath on the back of his neck, and knew this was something far too intimate for two friends to be doing, but couldn’t bring himself to care anymore. He was too tired and comfortable to care about that any longer.

“Your hair smells like strawberries...” Tyler whispered and Mini couldn’t stop the soft smile from gracing his features.

“Yeah it’s my shampoo. Makes me smell like strawberries and it’s fucking amazing.”

“Yeah, it’s nice... Manly as shit.”

Mini lightly thumped Tyler for that remark and he lightly chuckled in response, and it wasn’t long after that until they had both drifted off, content.

When Mini woke up the next morning after the best night sleep he had in a long time, Tyler was gone but next to his bed was a plate of pancakes covered in whipped cream and sliced strawberries.

\----

The automatic doors of the convenience store opened and Mini was hit by a light breeze as he stepped back out onto the street, grocery bags in hand. He paused on the sidewalk as he waited for Brock to follow him out with his own bags in tow, and they traded smiles before they began to walk home. “It’s nice being able to leave a store without a flurry of bullets flying overhead for once,” Brock noted, and Mini nodded in agreement. 

They were robbing more and more stores as of late as Evan wanted them to get some practice in before their big heist, and so insisted that they steal almost everything they need from now on. Bullets pinging off walls and surfaces was as a sound as regular as rainfall, and he had long gotten used to the feel of a gun in his hands. He had still yet to fire it at anyone and so far has only used it to destroy security cameras and to intimidate civilians, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he’d be forced to shoot someone and wasn’t looking forward to it in the slightest.

The one thing Mini did wish they had right now was a getaway vehicle so they didn’t have to carry the grocery bags the whole way back to the apartment, but it couldn’t be helped. Tyler and Evan needed the truck to scope out the Pacific Standard Public Deposit Bank, and they weren’t about to steal a car for a simple shopping trip. Mini thought that maybe Brian could have drove them, but he was still sleeping when they left and Brock didn’t want to wake him or take his car without asking. 

Speaking of which...

“Hey Brock,” Mini began, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over them as they made their way home. “What’s the deal with you and Brian anyway?”

The question seemed to have caught him completely off guard as his eyes widened and he was taken aback. “U-uhh...” he stuttered, and then giggled nervously, his cheeks flushing pink. “We’re uh... we’re just friends. Why do you ask?” he asked, looking at everything but him.

“Brooock?” Mini said with a slight smirk, drawing out his name for emphasis and bumped his shoulder, encouraging him to talk. Brock merely giggled again and refused to elaborate, so Mini pressed him further. “Are you sure you’re  _just_ friends, Brock?”

Mini watched as Brock’s smile slowly faded away as his face fell into a saddened frown. “Yeah, I’m sure,” he confirmed with a forlorn sigh, and suddenly Mini felt bad for teasing him. He didn’t realise that this was a sore subject for him, and should’ve been more tactful and sensitive.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” Mini apologised with a soft smile and bumped his shoulder again as his hands were too full for him to pat him on the arm like he wanted to. “But if it’s any consolation, I’m pretty sure he likes you too.”

That seemed to catch his attention and Brock turned back at him again, a hopeful look on his face. “Do you think?” he asked, and Mini nodded with a grin.

“Guys don’t typically offer to sleep with their friends when they have nightmares unless they’re really special to them,” Mini pointed out and the smile that spread across Brock’s face warmed his heart.

Brock paused for a moment as he put a little more thought into what Mini had said, and raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t you and Tyler do that last night?” he asked, and it was his turn to lightly smirk at him while Mini laughed loudly at the implication.

“Brock, don’t be ridiculous. That’s different, we’re not like that. We actually ARE just friends,” he explained and shook his head in disbelief that Brock would even imply such a thing. Of course he wasn’t special to Tyler in the same way that Brock was special to Brian, and it was silly of him to think otherwise.

“Uh huh,” Brock replied with the same smug smirk, not at all convinced by his argument, and Mini frowned.

“Alright, what’s that look for?” he asked and Brock laughed at him, frustrating him even further.

“You obviously like him,” Brock stated matter-of-factly, and Mini spluttered.

“No, I don’t!” he forced a laugh, and even to him the words sounded unconvincing. “I don’t fancy Tyler, Brock, don’t be stupid. You’re just projecting your feelings for Brian onto me. I don’t like him like that,” he insisted and used a much firmer tone, though it was hard to tell whether he was trying to convince Brock or himself.

“Sure you don’t,” Brock laughed again and rolled his eyes, and if it had have been anyone else, then he might have considering thumping him to wipe that smirk off his face.

“Seriously, _I don’t.”_

“You keep telling yourself that, Mini.”

Mini was about to argue with him further when the sound of a car horn interrupted him mid-thought. He turned around to see what was going on, only to discover that there were no cars or vehicles of any kind behind him. In fact, the whole street was completely devoid of life and they were the only two people in sight. Mini suddenly began to feel unnerved and uneasy, even more so when a brightly coloured car with tinted windows turned a corner and steered towards their direction.

Something wasn’t right about this. Something was wrong, and they needed to get out of here  _now_. 

Before Mini had a chance to raise his concerns with Brock, a blue blur darted out of a nearby alleyway and tackled him to the ground, his body hitting the hard pavement with an audible smack. Mini turned to face his attacker and was met with the sight of a hockey mask mere inches away from his face, piercing blue eyes boring into his skull.

Brock threw his groceries to the ground and lunged to pull the guy off of him, but his attacker whipped out a knife and swiped at his legs, and Brock just managed to jump back before the blade cut him. Mini struggled under his grip and tried to throw the guy off him, but he had him firmly and tightly pinned to the sidewalk.

The car behind them was edging closer to them and Mini still couldn’t move, and he quickly realised that there was no way he was getting out of this - but Brock still could. 

“Run! RUN! Just GO!” he shouted at him, encouraging him to escape, but Brock seemed hesitant to leave him behind. He looked down at Mini obviously scared and conflicted, and then back at the car that was beginning to slow to a stop and backed away slowly. He looked down at him again one last time before turning on his heel and sprinting down the street.

“Oh no you fucking don’t!” his attacker yelled and quickly scrambled off him and darted after Brock with his knife still in hand.

Mini made a move to get up and run away, but was stopped when a pair of hands grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back. “Hey! Let me go!” he demanded and tried his best to wriggle out of their grip, but then a third hand came around and pressed a cloth over his mouth and nose.

Suddenly all he could smell was acetone and alcohol and Mini tried even harder to wrestle himself away, but with every breath his head felt lighter and his body felt weaker, and it wasn’t long until he had fallen unconscious.

\----

Mini woke up hours later with a splitting headache, and was only vaguely aware of the unfamiliar voices surrounding him. He slowly opened his eyes and groaned, silently thankful that the light in the room was dim. He went to reach up and rub his eyes only to discover that his hands were bound behind his back and he was tied to the chair he was sitting on.

Suddenly the memories of what happened before he passed out came rushing back and he was wide awake and panicked. He looked around the basement he was in for Brock, and allowed his shoulders to sink in relief ever so slightly when he didn’t spot him, choosing to take that as a sign that they hadn’t caught him too.

What he did see however, was three masked men all looking in his direction. He recognised two of them from the robbery he and Tyler had witnessed the week before, and his heart dropped and his stomach filled with dread. The man with the paper bag over his head was sitting on a washing machine against the left wall and seemed to be fairly relaxed, whilst the chimp was standing off to the side, leaning against a wooden beam with his arms crossed over his chest.

The third man was someone Mini had never seen before, and it was just his luck that he was the one that approached him. His monkey mask was similar to the other one but a much darker shade of brown, and he was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, showing off his dark skin and toned muscles. He stopped just a few feet in front of him and folded his arms, tilting his head curiously at him.

Mini gulped, and sank into the chair. 

He was so fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that sure was an ending, huh? ;P
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the longer wait than usual between chapters, but schoolwork needed to be done and I'm hoping I'll have more free time to work on things for the next week or so at least now that those deadlines are over and done with. Hopefully it was worth the wait though! <3


	8. Stockholm Syndrome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! 
> 
> I normally don't put author's notes at the beginning of these chapters, but I just wanted to let you know that this chapter contains some Spanish, and that there are translations for it all in the author's note at the end. The little numbers next to the Spanish correspond with the English translations at the bottom :)
> 
> As usual, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! <3

The atmosphere in the room was so tense you could cut it with a knife, and Mini was scared to even so much as breathe out of fear of pissing off his captors. He still had a piercing headache from just regaining consciousness, and his shoulder ached from being tackled to the ground earlier, and there was no doubt that there would be sizeable bruise there tomorrow.

Nobody had spoken since he first opened his eyes, they were still simply staring at him, and Mini wasn’t about to break the silence between them either. He could hear muffled voices and shuffling upstairs, and the light rhythmic tapping of the man in the paper bag masks’s fingers against the washing machine he was perched on, but otherwise it was quiet.

Mini squirmed nervously in his seat even though the ropes tightly binding him to the chair didn’t give him much room to move, a plethora of questions running through his mind. Where was he? Who were these people? What did they want with him? Was Brock okay? He had a lot of questions and no answers, and he was afraid of what would happen to him if he asked them.

Eventually, the chimp in the red hoodie stepped away from the beam he was leaning on and approached him, choosing to stand next to the taller man in a monkey mask in front of him. "Hi! I’m Lui! What’s your name?” he squeaked and gave him a slight wave, his surprisingly high pitched voice causing Mini to flinch on account of his headache. 

Mini didn’t answer and kept his mouth firmly shut. He knew it was a bad idea to give the men who kidnapped him his real name, and he didn’t particularly want to give them his nickname and codename either. Snapping at them or making some sort of snarky comment would only be more trouble than it’s worth, and  anything else he could possibly say would likely end badly for him. It was in his best interest to not anger or rile up his captors in any way to ensure they don’t try to hurt him, and so decided that keeping quiet was his best option for the time being.

“Hey, don’t be shy! We just wanna be friends!” Lui continued to squeak, but his jovial tone just set him further on edge, and Mini was fairly certain that that was not the reason they grabbed him. When he still didn’t answer, Lui asked “Did you forget your name? That’s okay! Nogla forgets his own name sometimes too, right Nogla?”

Both chimps turned to the man in the paper bag, who seemed surprised that all attention was suddenly thrust onto him. “...No?” he replied, genuinely confused that his friend would accuse him of such a thing.

The taller ape motioned to him to zip his lips and be quiet, but Nogla spoke again to apologise. “Oh right! Sorry, I forgot,” he admitted sheepishly, and it wasn’t until then that Mini noticed his thick Irish accent. The ape shook his head and Mini could clearly tell that he was rolling his eyes at him behind the mask, even if he couldn’t see them.

“Well, don’t worry! I’ll help you remember your name!” Lui continued in that same high pitched voice, choosing to pretend that exchange didn’t happen and waved for the other chimp to hand him a small stack of papers that were placed on a nearby shelf. Mini eyed the papers curiously as Lui shuffled and organised them, wary as to what was on them that would supposedly help them figure out his identity. “I’ll show you one of these posters, and you tell me to stop when you see the one of you, ‘kay?” Lui asked, and Mini bit his lip, but otherwise didn’t react.

Taking his silence as confirmation, Lui flipped over the first page and Mini’s heart dropped into his stomach when he was suddenly presented with Tyler’s wanted poster. He tried his best not to react in any way, but his heart was beating fast and his breath had hitched when he was shown the pig mask, and he was struggling to breathe regularly again. The fact they had his wanted poster on hand did not bode well, and he was suddenly worried for the safety of his best friend, desperately hoping he was okay and that the rest of the gang hadn’t grabbed him or any of the others too.

“We KNOW you’re not the pig, because you’re too short, so we’ll skip to the next one,” Lui said and put Tyler’s poster to the back of the stack before turning over the next one. “What about this guy? Is this you?”

He wasn’t as surprised to see Evan’s menacing owl mask stare back at him, but there was still a pang in his chest. Mini felt dejected, realising that the rest of the papers in his hand were likely posters belonging to him, and the rest of his friends too. “No?” Lui asked, and moved on to the next one.

Mini tried to keep a blank expression as Lui wordlessly cycled through wanted posters of them, first showing him Brian, and then Brock, and finally one of himself, but he felt sick to the stomach knowing they were hunting him and his friends for one reason or another. He made no indication that the final poster was indeed him, and he could tell that they were displeased by his lack of reaction. “Hmm,” Lui hummed and handed all the papers to the other ape who put them back on the shelf. “Well, I guess you don’t remember which mask was yours either, but that’s okay, because we have ways of helping people remember things, don’t we Basically?”

The now named Chimp nodded his head slowly and punched his hand into his palm before cracking his knuckles, and then his neck. Mini’s eyes widened and he gulped at the implication, stomach churning at the thought of having information beat out of him, and he involuntarily squirmed in fear. Basically took a step towards him and his breath hitched again, and he was weighing whether or not he should just tell him what his codename was to avoid getting punched when the door leading into the basement suddenly opened and closed.

They all turned to look at the staircase and watched as a new figure stepped down, one hand on the railing, the other holding some sort of baked good. He saw a pair of jeans and a white tank top first before his head popped into view, black balaclava stocking pulled up to his nose so he could stuff his face with whatever he was eating. Mini couldn’t tell what it was from this distance, but it smelled of chocolate and made his mouth water, and it wasn’t until then that he realised how hungry he was. How long had he been out?

“HEY! You interrupted our good cop/bad cop routine!” Lui complained, placing his hands on his hips as the new guy smiled apologetically at him, mouth full with something sweet. 

“What are you eating there, Scotty?” Nogla asked curiously, and Scotty almost choked on it when he was spoken to.

“Don’t fucking call me by my real name in front of the hostage, Nogla!” he screeched with a full mouth, before harshly swallowing it. “I’m Fourzer0 in front of outsiders, remember?! And it’s a brownie...” he replied much more softly, but still had a harsh frown on his face. 

“Oh fuck! Sorry!” Nogla exclaimed, and Mini was emphatic, his slip up reminding him of when he did the same thing to Brock during their first armed robbery.

The feeling was fleeting however, as he quickly remembered how Evan killed the clerk who shouldn’t have found out Brock’s name, and his body tensed up as he wondered if they were going to kill him for the same reason. His eyes flicked between the four people in the room, waiting for one of them to make a move to hurt him in some way, but they didn’t pay him any heed and continued talking among themselves.

“Guys! Stop! You’re making us look bad in front of the hostage!” Lui whined, pointing in his direction, and Mini smiled sheepishly when they glanced over to him.

“Did you not grab the other guy?” Basically asked Scotty, redirecting all the attention back to him again, and Mini perked up at that question too. ‘The other guy’? Were they talking about Brock? Was he safe?

Scotty shook his sadly. “No, he got away-”

“You let him get away?! How the fuck did you let him get away?!” Basically exclaimed, annoyed, but Mini allowed himself to relax, relieved to know for sure that they hadn’t captured Brock too.

“I was going to fucking tell you before you interrupted me!” Scotty snapped back, stuffing the rest of the brownie into his mouth and taking his time to slowly chew and swallow it, just to spite his friend. “Delirious and I chased him down a bunch of streets, and I even shot him in the shoulder to slow him down but he just kept going like he was fucking Wolverine or some shit. Then he turned a corner and we lost him on a crowded street. Like we searched everywhere but he just vanished! I have no fucking clue where he went.”

Mini’s heart sank when he mentioned Brock getting shot, and he wished now more than ever that he was back home or back at their new base with his friends. He was supposed to be the medic, supposed to be the one who took care of them when things like this happened, but here he was locked away in some gang members’ basement, fearing for his life. He could at least take solace in the fact that Brock hadn’t got kidnapped by their gang like he was, and just hoped he made it home in time for one of the others to help him.

“Where is Delirious, anyway?” Nogla asked, and Scotty shrugged in response, tugging the balaclava back down over his mouth.

“I don’t know. All he told me was that he was going home to take care of some things and he’d meet up with us later.”

“What kind of things?” Basically asked and Scotty merely shrugged in response. Basically sighed. “That boy better not be doing something stupid...” he muttered with a shake of his head. 

“You know, there’s really no point in me disguising my voice if you guys are all just going to talk in your normal voices anyway,” Lui pointed out, no longer speaking in the high pitched voice he had used up until this point and Mini was thankful. His normal voice was much less grating and didn’t bother his headache quite as much.

Before anyone could respond to this, the door at the top of the stairs opened again and a new, heavily accented voice called down. “L-Lui? C-Cariño[1]? I-I made some brownies, I’m gonna bring them down, okay?” he stuttered and a sandled foot stepped down into view, but before he could climb down the stairs to where Mini could see him properly, Lui stopped him.

“NO! No no no! That’s okay! We’ll uh... we’ll come up and get them!” Lui said frantically, running to the bottom of the stairs so he could look up at the new voice. “You don’t need to come down here!” he added, nervously glancing in Mini’s direction, and Mini got the impression that this new guy wasn’t supposed to know he was here.

The scent of freshly baked brownies wafted towards him and he caught a whiff of their delicious scent, and his stomach rumbled. His hunger coupled with the sweet chocolate smell made his mouth water, and he wanted nothing more in that moment than to dash up those stairs and take a few for himself to fill the empty feeling in his stomach. He knew the chocolate wouldn’t help his headache any but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He just wanted to eat  _something_.

“A-Are you sure? Because I-I could bring the brownies into the basement if you want uh...?” he asked, and Mini wished he would in the off chance that they might take pity on him and feed him some brownies too, but Lui shook his head.

“No, that’s fine, really. We’ll come upstairs. Muchas gracias[2],” Lui said fondly, and Mini imagined with wearing the same soft smile Brian wore when he spoke to Brock in that same tone of voice.

“O-okay. Well come and get them while they’re still warm, cariño,” he insisted, and his sandled foot disappeared back up the stairs again, much to Lui’s relief.

“We’ll be right up,” Lui promised, and stood and watched at the bottom of the stairs until the door softly clicked shut again. As soon as he was sure he was gone, he turned back to his friends “Can we talk about this upstairs? I don’t want to keep Droidd waiting and have him try to come down here again.”

There was a chorus of agreements in the room and they all began to head upstairs. “You’re going to have to tell him about all this eventually, Lui,” Nogla said as he climbed up after him.

“You know I can’t do that, Nogla...” Lui sighed as he disappeared from view.

“Still, he’s going to find out sooner or later and it’s better he finds out from you.”

With that, the group left the room and Mini was left alone and forgotten in the basement. Silence descended upon him and with it the full weight of everything that was happening to him sunk in. He had been kidnapped and held captive by a gang for reasons he didn’t yet know, and it seemed that they had no problems hurting him if he didn’t comply with their demands, a thought that terrified him to his very core.

He had seen plenty of movies and shows where someone got kidnapped by a gang much in the same way he had, and couldn’t help but envision himself and the masked men in the torture scenes the characters were portrayed in. Mini pictured them punching and wailing on him for information, and his breath quickened as he began to panic. He ducked his head and bent forward as much as he could whilst still being tied to the chair and hyperventilated, eyes clenched shut as he desperately tried to hold back tears. Crying showed weakness, and he couldn’t seem weak in front of his captors.

In that moment, he wished he wasn’t alone. He wished his friends would swoop in and whisk him back home safe and sound, and he wished Tyler was here to comfort him. He wanted Tyler to wrap his arms around him and whisper soft reassurances that everything was okay, and that everything would be alright, just like he always did when something bad happened to them. Mini didn’t realise how much he took his comfort for granted until he couldn’t have it when he needed it most. 

The memories of Tyler holding him and cuddling him just made him feel even more alone, and he choked back a sob as a terrifying thought came to mind. What if he never saw him again? What if he never saw any of his friends again? What if this gang killed him and he never got to go home? 

Mini couldn’t hold back the tears now and he cried freely, knowing he shouldn’t but couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to die, not here, not like this.

He didn’t even get to say goodbye.

\----

It had been a few hours since he was left alone in the basement, and Mini wished there were windows so he could maybe figure out what time it was. He was starving and gasping for a drink, but by now his headache had at least faded away. He still felt like shit however and imagined that he didn’t look much better either after the breakdown he had earlier. He had stopped crying a while ago and now just felt numb, a dull pain in his chest.

With no one around to talk to or any kind of sound to distract himself with, Mini was left alone with his thoughts. His mind swam with questions as to what was going on, and at one point tried to come up with some sort of plan to escape but with little luck. At this point, he was depending on his friends to rescue him, otherwise he could very well die here, and soon his thoughts drifted to his last words with each of them. 

His memory of his last words to Evan and Brian were hazy, but he knew they were something mundane, like wishing them goodnight. His last words to Brock and Tyler however were poignant and kept playing over and over again in his mind.

The last time Mini had spoken to Tyler, they were cuddled in his bed together trying to fall asleep, and his heart ached at the memory, and ached at the thought of them maybe never sharing a moment like that again. He missed the feeling of his arms around him, and part of him still wished he was here right now to wrap his arms around him again. He was glad he wasn’t and was safe at home, but that didn’t make him miss him any less.

The more he thought about Tyler, the more he was reminded of his last conversation with Brock, one phrase in particular sticking out among the rest.

_“You obviously like him.”_

In his solitude, Mini couldn’t help but think long and hard about what Brock had said to him, no matter how hard he tried to think of anything else. 

_“You obviously like him.”_

Mini didn’t want to believe him, and hell, he  _refused_  to believe him... but the more he thought about Tyler, about the things they did together, and how he felt around him, he was beginning to think there could be some amount of truth in his statement. It did explain his behavior as of late, and it annoyed Mini to no end to think of just how  _well_  it explained his behavior at that.

In fact, it explained almost everything, from how his skin tingled when they touched, to how he got butterflies in his stomach every time he genuinely smiled at him. It explained as to why he always thought of him first over any of his other friends, and why it was his comfort he desired and not anyone else’s. It was Tyler’s hands he enjoyed holding, Tyler’s arms he wanted wrapped around him, and Tyler’s soothing words he needed to hear. It was Tyler that made him blush and made his heart beat faster, and Mini could never figure out why he reacted like that around him, and now he had an explanation and didn’t want to accept it.

Brock was wrong. He didn’t like Tyler like that, he  _couldn’t_  like Tyler like that. He was his best friend, nothing more, nothing less, and there was nothing Brock could say to him that would change that. They were just  _friends_ , that’s it. There had to be another explanation for his strange behavior, there  _had to be_. He just hadn’t thought of it yet.

The door at the top of the stairs opened, pulling Mini out of his thoughts and he was thankful for the distraction, but nervous about what could happen. Nogla and Scotty stepped down into the basement, and Mini’s eyes widened at the plate of cheese sandwiches and a bottle of water that Nogla was carrying, desperately hoping those were for him. He was vaguely aware of the gun in Scotty hands, but his eyes were locked onto the first plate of food he’d seen since breakfast, and unconsciously licked his lips.

“Hungry?” Nogla chuckled as he approached him, while Scotty waited by the bottom of the stairs, watching them closely.

Mini almost gave him an enthusiastic nod in response but stopped himself, worried this might be some sort of trick. He was concerned that if he let them know just how hungry he felt, then they might take the food away from him or use it as some sort of bargaining chip to get information out of him. He desperately wanted to eat those sandwiches, but was adamant about not revealing any personal details about himself or his friends either.

Nogla placed the plate on his lap and Mini tried to reach for it, momentarily forgetting that his hands were bound behind his back, and Nogla chuckled again. “Be patient. Have some water first,” he offered, twisting the lid off the bottle and holding it up to his lips for him. Mini might have stopped to complain about how degrading it was to be fed like this but in the moment he couldn’t bring himself to care as he greedily gulped down the water, the liquid quenching his thirst and soothing his dry mouth and throat.

When he had enough, Nogla took the bottle back and screwed the cap back on before placing it on the floor. He then picked up one of the sandwiches and held it out for him, and Mini eagerly took a huge bite out of it without being prompted. The cheese sandwich was nothing special, but it was the first thing he’d eaten since breakfast and therefore tasted amazing. He hummed in contentment as he swallowed before taking another mouthful. 

“Are you sure we can’t untie him, Fourzer0?” Nogla asked sadly, and Mini could hear the frown in his voice. “It seems cruel to feed him like this. He’s a grown man for fuck’s sake, not a fucking child.”

Scotty adjusted his hold on his gun as he shifted nervously on the spot. “Well... what if we untie him and he tries something?” he asked, and Mini perked up. The thought occurred to him that if they untied him, he could try to escape, but when he realised that he’d likely get shot the second he so much as stepped out of line, he quickly lost hope again, and dejectedly took another bite of the sandwich.

“That’s why you have the gun, remember? To make sure he doesn’t,” Nogla pointed out, as if he was reading his thoughts. “Besides, we’re going to have to untie him anyway to let him take a piss, so why not untie him now and let him feed himself too? How about we don’t be complete jackasses for a change?”

“But Basically said-”

“Fuck Basically. I’m untying him,” Nogla decided, and dropped the half-finished sandwich onto the plate, much to Mini’s disappointment. He swiftly moved behind him and Mini could feel him tugging on the ropes around his wrists, slowly loosening them until they had fallen off completely. He then did the same thing with the ropes around his torso, and soon Mini was free to move around as he pleased.

Mini rolled his stiff shoulders, popped his back, and stretched out his arms, relieved about being able to move for the first time in hours. He rotated his wrists for a moment before picking up the unfinished sandwich so he could continue munching on it again, feeling much better about it now that he didn’t have to be fed.

“See? I told you he wouldn’t try anything. He’s a good lad,” Nogla said proudly and sat down cross legged in front of him, turning his attention back to him. “So are you going to tell me your name?” he asked, and Mini tensed up.

Was this an interrogation tactic? Was he only being nice to him because he thought he’d be more willing to give up information that way? Mini wasn’t sure and kept quiet regardless, eating the rest of his sandwich much more hesitantly.

“You are a quiet one, aren’t you?” Nogla asked, amused, but his tone was quick to shift and he sighed. “Look, if you don’t tell us your name, then the other guys are going to hurt you until you do. So it’s better if you just tell me now so that doesn’t have to happen.”

There was a pause when Mini was expected to answer, but he still didn’t say anything. He wondered if maybe he should as Nogla raised a valid point, and he really didn’t want to get tortured or beaten, but before he could change his mind, Nogla continued to talk.

“We’re not bad people, you know. We just do bad things,” he told him, looking down at his hands in his lap, twiddling his thumbs. “We don’t want to hurt you. I sure as fuck don’t. Fuck, we didn’t even want to grab you in the first place!”

“Nogla,” Scotty warned, but went ignored.

“But you and your gang aren’t giving us much of a choice. We HAVE to do these things to protect ourselves, and if you don’t tell us what your name is on your own, then we’ll HAVE to beat it out of you. I don’t want that happen, and I’m willing to bet you don’t either, so just tell me now and we can both save ourselves the heartbreak, alright?”

Mini couldn’t help but emphasize with Nogla. His situation reminded him a lot of his own, in that he and his friends also did terrible things because they weren’t any other options. None of them wanted to rob those stores or shoot at those cops, but they didn’t have a choice. They needed the money, and this was the only way to get it, and he wondered what Nogla’s reason was for doing these things. He wondered why exactly they had to kidnap him, and what it was that he and his friends were doing that caused them to do this to him. They must have a reason, but none of them seem to be particularly willing to give it to him.

At first, Mini thought he was feigning niceties to get on his good side, thinking that maybe he and Scotty were trying to pull that good cop/bad cop routine again, but now he wasn’t so sure. Now he was beginning to think that Nogla was being kind to him because that was just the kind of person he was. His words seemed honest and true, and he genuinely believed that Nogla didn’t want to hurt him.

Truth be told, Mini didn’t want Nogla to hurt him, or any of his gang to hurt him either for that matter. He didn’t want to get beat up, and he didn’t want them to resort to violence when they clearly didn’t want to. 

And for those reasons, Mini finally spoke. 

“Mini,” he stated, his voice raspy from not talking all day and not drinking either, and he reached for the bottle of water and took another sip.

Nogla’s head snapped up at his voice, not quite believing that he actually replied to him. “What?”

“Mini. It’s my name- well, codename,” Mini explained and took another gulp of water before tightening the cap and placing the bottle back on the floor.

“Oh. Oh, right, yeah! I uh.. I wasn’t expecting you to actually tell me, if I’m honest,” Nogla chuckled. “But that’s good. ‘Mini’ is a fine name, and I won’t ask you any more questions. That’s all I needed to know. The others are going to ask you tomorrow about ways to get into contact with your gang, but I won’t force you to tell me that right now. You just think up your answer, and tell them when they ask you, and maybe we won’t have to hurt you after all.”

Mini smiled in spite of himself as he grabbed the other sandwich and bit into it, but there was still something that was niggling at him. “...Why are you being so nice to me?” he asked before taking a second mouthful.

“Because I’m a nice person,” Nogla replied, and Scotty scoffed from back at the staircase. Nogla turned around to glare at him and threw his hands into the air. “Hey! I’m fucking nice!” he exclaimed, a little offended.

Scotty laughed uproariously. “Dude that’s the nicest I’ve ever fucking seen you be, and it was to our fucking hostage!”

“I’m fucking nice!” Nogla repeated in a slightly higher pitch, and this time Mini smiled along with Scotty who loudly laughed again. 

Once he realised what he was doing, Mini schooled his expression back into something more neutral. He knew he shouldn’t be getting along with his captors, as they still could hurt him yet and didn’t seem to want to release him any time soon. But Nogla didn’t seem like a bad person, and Scotty wasn’t half bad either, and maybe if they had met under more pleasant circumstances, they could’ve been friends. 

But these people had kidnapped him and shot Brock, and therefore he shouldn’t be so quick to trust them. In fact, he shouldn’t trust them  _at all,_ not when they weren’t telling him anything, and not when they kept his and friends wanted posters on hand. This gang seemed to have something against them, and he couldn’t let himself grow attached to any of them until he had at least found out  _why_. 

Maybe not even then.

\----

“Is this the guy?”

Mini was awoken from his uneasy sleep by a vaguely familiar voice, and rolled onto his back to blink up at him. He hadn’t slept much during the night, but considering his wrists were bound, his arms were tied to his torso, and the only comfort he had was a flat mattress and a thin blanket on the floor of the basement, he didn’t expect to. It certainly didn’t help matters that his mind was plagued with bad dreams, and he once again found himself missing Tyler, and he silently wondered if he was having nightmares and thinking of him too.

The hockey masked man from the day before was staring down at him curiously with his arms folded across his chest, Lui by his side. “Yeah, that’s him,” Lui confirmed with a curt nod.

“Who else would it be?” Basically scoffed from where he was watching them at the bottom of the stairs, casually leaning against the banister. “Did you think we kidnapped somebody else while you were off doing God knows what?”

“Hey! For all I know Lui could be keeping some sort of sex slave down here!” the hockey masked man joked, and even though Mini knew he wasn’t being serious, a wave of panic still ran through him at the thought. 

"No, that’s in my OTHER basement!” Lui squeaked, and the stranger laughed loudly, and it sounded manic enough to scare Mini into shuffling away from him ever so slightly. If the laugh was anything to go by, then this guy might have a few screws loose and it would he best if he didn’t mess with him.

“Seriously though, is this really him? He looks too wimpy to be fucking gang member,” the hockey masked man stated, tilting his head at him, and Mini wanted to take offense to that and bark a retort at him, but was afraid as to how they’d react if he lashed out. Nogla said they didn’t want to hurt him, but he wasn’t here right now and so he couldn’t be too sure.

“You said that Cartoonz said that this was one of them!” Basically exclaimed, waving his arms in annoyance.

“I know! And he is! But he still looks like a fucking wimp though. Like, you’ve heard the rumours about this Vanoss guy. Asshole is supposed to be a ruthless killer that shoots fucking  _innocent people_  point blank, and one of his gang members is a fucking kid? Doesn’t seem right,” he shrugged.

“I heard he once made one of his gang members shoot his boyfriend dead because he found out they were in a gang,” Lui added, and Mini couldn’t help but wonder where on earth he heard that piece if misinformation.

“And to be fair, none of us look all that intimidating with our masks off either,” Basically pointed out, and the stranger conceded his point.

“I do~!” he sang, and Mini could practically hear the grin in his voice.

“Yeah, but only because you wear that stupid fucking clown make up,” Basically said, and leaned against the banister again, and the hockey masked man laughed.

“I guess you’re right,” he giggled, and turned his attention back to Mini. “So did you assholes at least find out which one he is, or do I get that pleasure~?” he asked as he pulled out his knife, a sadistic tone in his voice, and Mini’s eyes widened in fear at the implication of what he was going to do.

“Nogla said his name was ‘Mini’,” Basically informed him, and Mini let out a sigh of relief when he put his knife away. “Do you know which one that is? You’re supposed to be our expert.”

“How fucked up is this situation if  _Delirious_ is our expert on something?” Lui joked, and the newly named masked man flipped him off, much to his amusement.

“Fuck you! I’m an expert on plenty of things!” Delirious exclaimed and began walking towards one of the shelves in the room, pulling the stack of wanted posters off of it and began flicking through them.

“Yeah, the expert on being a dumbass maybe,” Basically joked and Lui laughed, and Delirious flipped them both off again.

“Fuck you!” he chuckled along with them, before plucking a poster from the pile and placing the rest of them back on the shelf. 

As Delirious approached the edge of his mattress again, Mini did his best to sit up, which was a little difficult with his arms and wrists bound by rope. “Is this you?” Delirious asked him as he showed him the wanted poster, and Mini’s heart sank when it was indeed a picture of his mask staring back at him. “You’re Mini? The guy in the vulture mask who shoots out the cameras and acts as the medic?” he asked with startling accuracy. 

Mini had a short internal debate with himself as to whether or not he should answer, before reluctantly nodding. Delirious tossed the poster and threw his hands into the air, shouting “I fucking knew it!” at the top of his lungs. “Fucking told you I knew this gang inside and out! Score one for Delirious!”

“Yeah yeah we get it, you’re not completely useless,” Basically said and shook his head affectionately. 

“Well genius, can you tell us how we’re supposed to get in contact with the rest of his gang then?” Lui asked smugly, and Delirious’ excitement slowly drained and his hands fell by his side. “No? Didn’t think so.”

Delirious then turned his attention back to Mini. “Hey. How do we get in contact with your gang so we can trade you back?”

‘Trade him’? They wanted to ‘trade him’? Mini frowned and eyed them skeptically. What was it that he and his friends had that was worth kidnapping him and holding him ransom for? They didn’t have a penny to their names and were in serious debt, and Mini couldn’t think of anything else that they could possibly give them. What was it they were looking for?

Realising that he’s not going to get any answers if he stays quiet, Mini decided to try his luck and start asking them questions. “’Trade me’?” he repeated, and the trio seemed surprised that he had spoken. “Trade me for what? Money? Because we don’t have any of that,” he told them, silently wondering if he should have let that little piece of information slip.

Delirious and Lui looked to each other, before turning to Basically in the hopes that he’d explain. Basically sighed, and stepped away from the staircase and began to approach his mattress. “We don’t want money. What we want is for  _your gang_  to stay off  _our turf_ ,” he explained, standing next to Lui and crossing his arms menacingly. “You know all those stores your little gang has been robbing? And that block of stores you assholes burned  _to the fucking ground?_ Yeah, well, all of that is _our turf_ , and  _you lot_  keep robbing them before we get a chance to, which means our profits are real fucking low, and we’re sick of it. So we grabbed you to send a message to your boss that we’re not afraid to hurt any one of you fucks if you don’t learn your place and stay the fuck off our land!”

“Yeah! What he said!” Delirious exclaimed and whipped out his knife, and Mini leaned back when it was once again pointed in his direction.

“So it would be peachy if you could tell us how we can get in contact with your leader so we could have a little chat, and maybe if you cooperate, we will hand you back in one piece,” Basically finished, and lightly shrugged his shoulders. “Or not. Delirious here has been itching to use that knife of his,” he added, and Delirious giggled wickedly, waving his knife around with practiced ease.

Mini wasn’t sure whether or not he believed their threats, as Nogla was so insistent the day before that none of them wanted to hurt him and he was inclined to believe him, but he wasn’t about to take any chances either. What he did know for sure however, was that he wasn’t about to give a rival gang the address to their base, and he certainly wasn’t going to give them the address to the apartment where they lived. Mini wanted his friends to be as safe as possible so that none of them ended up in a situation like his, and giving out that information was the wrong way to go about it.

If Mini wanted to ensure their safety, then his best bet would be for them to get in contact with a middle man and work out the details through him, and as much as it pained Mini to admit it, there really was only one man suitable enough for the job.

“...Do you guys know Sark?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Mini was any further in denial, he could send us all a postcard :P
> 
> Anyway, as you may or may not have noticed as it was almost entirely in Spanish, but I decided to add a little SilentCalibre to the mix! I'd been debating whether or not to add any as I feel like I had a lot of pairings already, but I came up with a plotline I like and they're one of many OTPs so I figured why not? Don't expect much of it mind you, as this is a minicat fic and I don't want to lose focus, but they'll crop up here and there.
> 
> And lastly, updates may slow down again for the next month or so as it's exam season. I have my first one on Thursday, and my last one is on the twentieth, so from now until then, I'll need to study. I'll do my best to update in between, but no promises that they'll be in any way prompt. I will try my best though <3
> 
> (Also, I realised halfway through writing this that this chapter would be VERY angsty if it was written from Tyler's perspective instead, like you don't even know. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing you'll never see that is up for debate. ;P)
> 
> \--
> 
> Translations:
> 
> [1] Cariño - honey/darling/sweetie/sweetheart
> 
> [2] Muchas gracias - thank you very much


	9. Making Frenemies

“Mini! You’ve got a visitor!” Nogla exclaimed as he climbed down the stairs, and Mini blinked in confusion. A visitor? But who could possibly be coming to visit him? He thought of his friends and his heart lurched, eyes widening in panic. They didn’t kidnap one of them too, did they?! 

But no, to Mini’s relief, he didn’t see the familiar figures of any of his friends being shoved into the basement, hurt, tied up or otherwise. Instead, Delirious skipped down the steps, a spring in his step, excitedly looking back from where he came to watch another man amble down after him much more casually. Like everyone else he had met so far, this man had his face covered, but not with a mask. He wore a pair of cool sunglasses, and a black and white bandanna over his mouth. Mini didn’t recall seeing this new figure before, and he wondered if this was the Droidd that Lui had spoken to the day before. 

“Jesus Delirious, watch your step. You’re gonna break your fucking neck if you run down the stairs like that,” he chided in a deep southern accent, immediately disproving his theory that he was Droidd.

“No, I fucking won’t!” Delirious scoffed, and straightened his back, confidently folding his arms. “I’m H2ODelirious, and H2ODelirious is too good to trip down the stairs~!”

“Yeah, well H2ODelirious is going to eat shit and knock his teeth out if he doesn’t be fucking careful,” he warned him, and strolled away from the staircase passed where Nogla was standing to approach his mattress, looking Mini up and down. “Is this the guy?”

“Yeah, you said it was!” Delirious exclaimed defensively, as if he was thought this man was accusing him of grabbing the wrong person. 

“No, it is. I was just making sure,” he replied, and Delirious looked to Nogla in disbelief, who merely shrugged. The stranger knelt down on one knee so they were at the same eye level, and lowered his sunglasses to get a better look at him. “You’re Mini? The medic?” he asked, and Mini nodded. “Hmm. You’re lucky these guys got to you first. We could’ve gotten a pretty penny for you,” he added, nudging his sunglasses back up over his eyes again.

“We still can, Cartoonz!” Delirious pointed out with a chuckle, a smirk evident in his voice.

“True,” Cartoonz conceded, and Mini squirmed a little, the topic of them selling him for his bounty making him feel uncomfortable. “So Mini, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” he asked, but launched into a question without waiting for him to respond regardless. “That guy you were with when my friends here grabbed you; was that Moo Snuckel? One of the guys in the bald eagle mask?”

Mini tried his best to keep his expression neutral as to not give away that he was right, but inside his heart had picked up its pace and he could feel his palms sweating. How did he know that was Brock? And furthermore, how did he know who he was? They were so careful and protective of their identities, how did he manage to figure them out?

“Not saying anything, huh? Well no matter, I already know I’m right anyways,” Cartoonz chuckled, as did Delirious, and Mini bit back a snarky retort. “I already know everything I need to know about your gang. You’re the medic, and Moo Snuckel is one of the eagles. The other is Terroriser, and the pig is Wildcat, your boss’s right hand man. I’ll admit I don’t know much about Vanoss, other than he’s real fucking dangerous and not to be messed with, but I know he’s the owl and that’s good enough.”

Mini frowned and glared at him, hating how much of that he got right, He was glad that he didn’t know their real names at least, assuming he really didn’t know and wasn’t just keeping that information to himself. What did scare him however, was the fact that he knew what he and Brock looked like beneath their masks, and if he knew that, what was stopping him from turning them in to the police - or worse? If this gang knew what they looked like, then that meant they weren’t as safe as they thought they were, and he made a mental note to mention this to Evan later. He hated to admit it, but that might be something they needed to ‘take care of’, so to speak, and that wasn’t a prospect he was looking forward to.

“...How do you know what we look like?” Mini asked, raking his brain for a moment where someone could have seen them taking off their masks, not seeing any other way he could have known.

“I have my ways,” he said slyly, winking at him from behind his sunglasses.

“Sark pointed you out to him,” Nogla explained, and both Delirious and Cartoonz turned to shoot him a look, as Mini internally cursed out Sark for screwing them over even more than he already had.

“We were trying to be fucking mysterious, Nogla, and you ruined it!” Delirious exclaimed, waving his arms in frustration, while Cartoonz shook his head. 

“I suppose I should explain then,” he sighed. “I was going to grab you folks and turn you in for your bounties, but Sark got a hold of me before I had a chance to. He said something about you guys owing him money, and that no one was allowed to lay so much as a finger on you until he got it. You’re lucky you’re under Sark’s protection, or me and Delirious here would be 80k richer.”

Mini frowned, and for the very first time, found himself feeling grateful towards Sark. It seems that he does care about them after all, even if it’s for selfish reasons, and he almost felt bad for cursing him out just a moment ago. Almost.

“Yeah! We could’ve gone to Las Venturas with that kinda money and doubled it!” Delirious pointed out, and Cartoonz nodded.

“We could’ve been 160k richer right now, but no, Sark says you’re off limits.”

“That didn’t stop you from kidnapping me though,” Mini blurted out without thinking and immediately regretted it, hoping his snark wasn’t about to earn him a punch to the face.

But luckily, this gang seemed to have a sense of humour and they all laughed it off. “True, but as long as we don’t kill you or maim you  _too_  badly, Sark said it was okay!” Delirious told him, and whipped out his knife from seemingly nowhere, twisting in such a way that the light caught the polished blade. “Which is a fucking shame if you ask me,” he giggled, the sinister chuckle making the hairs on Mini’s arms stand on end. 

“Well nobody did, so put that fucking thing away,” Cartoonz said with an eye roll, and Delirious reluctantly did as he was told. “So Mini,” he began, turning back to him again. “Would I be right in assuming you’re not going to answer any of my questions about you or your gang?”

Mini tightened his lips and shook his head. Of course he wasn’t going to tell him anything. He already knew FAR too much about them and he wasn’t about to add to his wealth of knowledge. Mini would do anything to protect his friends, even if that meant getting tortured and dying in the process. He hoped it never came to that, but he was prepared to keep his mouth shut if it did.

“Didn’t think so,” Cartoonz sighed, groaning as he stood back up. “It’ll be more fun if I have to find this shit out myself anyhow. Just don’t take too long getting Sark his money. There’s only so long I’m willing to wait for that bounty of yours.”

With that, Cartoonz turned to leave and gave him a small wave in goodbye before heading back up the stairs, Delirious trailing after him like a lost puppy. Mini half expected the strangely quiet Nogla to follow up after them, but instead he wandered over to his mattress and plopped down beside him, shaking his head. “Sorry about those two,” he apologised. “Fucking bounty hunters have a one track mind, and you and your gang are hot shit at the moment.”

“Bounty hunters?” Mini muttered to himself, furrowing his brow. They had bounty hunters after them now? As if things couldn’t possibly get any worse for them, life decides to throw them another curveball and toss more people trying to kill them into the mix. At least Sark was protecting them, but Mini doubted that that would last long, and he wasn’t looking forward to that inevitability.

“Yeah, bounty hunters. Cartoonz and Delirious have been hunting bounties for as long as I’ve known them, and probably long before that too. It’s a fucking dangerous game they’re playing though. At least with robberies, all we have to worry about is the police, but no, they’re fucking getting shot at by gang members, police, OTHER bounty hunters, and a whole range of other assholes. It’s a miracle they haven’t gotten themselves fucking killed,” Nogla explained, and Mini nodded, but there was still one thing he didn’t quite understand.

“Why join your gang if they’re bounty hunters though?” he asked curiously, and if it had have been anyone else, he might have been a little more reluctant to ask, but by now he had long since realised that Nogla wasn’t going to hurt him unless he attacked him first.

“It doesn’t pay as well as you’d think. Delirious got desperate, and started joining us when we went around stealing shit, but that doesn’t pay too well either, but I suppose you knew that already,” he chuckled.

“Tell me about it,” Mini agreed with a small smile. “What about Cartoonz though?”

Nogla shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you, and even if I did know, I probably shouldn’t tell you anyway,” he chuckled again. “What about you? Any secrets about your gang that you probably shouldn’t tell me?”

“Lots, but I’m not going to tell you,” Mini smirked, amused, and Nogla chuckled for a third time, but this time Mini laughed along with him.

“That’s okay. We can find other things to talk about,” he said, and that thought mystified him.

“You want to talk to me...?” he asked, surprised.

“Well, I’m not gonna let you sit down here on your own all day. I’m not that fucking cruel,” he told him, and gently pat him on the shoulder, and Mini couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He could honestly say that he never expected any of his captors to treat him as kindly as Nogla was treating him right now. It was... kind of nice, actually.

“So,” Nogla started, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Have you ever played any of those Grand Theft Auto games? Because I have, and it’s fucking weird how similar our lives are to those games. What the fuck is up with that?” he asked, and Mini couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous topic of conversation he chose, and for the first time since he’d been kidnapped, felt relaxed.

\---

It had been two days since Mini had been kidnapped and he was beginning to forget what the sun looked like. He hadn’t left the basement at all since he got here, and spent most of his time tied up and sitting or lying on his mattress. It was only when he needed to eat or go to the bathroom in the back of the basement that he was allowed to get up and have the ropes loosened and taken off completely. His back and limbs were stiff and sore, and he doubted he’d be able to walk far without stumbling on jelly legs.

Nogla had ventured down to the basement to keep him company throughout those two days, and Mini was grateful for the distraction, and the gesture further cemented the idea in his mind that Nogla was genuinely a good guy who strayed down a bad path. He almost always brought one or two of the others with him, which ones would vary, but it was always Nogla that came down to see him.

They’d talk about video games and nothing in particular just to pass the time, and purposely stay away from revealing any personal information pertaining to themselves or their respective gangs. Mini would like to say that he got to know him better, but in reality knew as much about them as he did two days ago, but that was probably a good thing. The less he knew about them and the less they knew about him, the better.

Nogla’s constant visits were the reason why he wasn’t startled when the door to the basement suddenly opened, and he hurriedly stepped in. What did surprise him however, was Delirious barreling down the stairs after him in a panic, and then quickly running towards him.

“You’re a medic or something, right?” Nogla asked from the bottom of the stairs, watching as Delirious whipped out his knife and dropped down on the mattress next to him. “You got any experience dealing with bullet wounds?”

Mini was taken aback by the question, but nodded regardless. “Yeah, a little bit,” he replied, choosing not to mention that his only experience was holding Tyler’s hand while Evan and Brock took care of his wound. Delirious roughly grabbed his hands and began to cut the ropes binding his wrists together, and Mini wondered what was going on. “Why? What’s happening?” he asked, confused.

“Your fucking gang shot Basically,” Delirious spat, acid dripping from his tongue as he freed his hands, immediately starting to work on the ropes wrapped around his torso.

“...What?!” Mini exclaimed, surprised. His friends shot him? But why? Were they coming to rescue him?! His heart jumped at the thought, but he hoped they weren’t doing something stupid and life threatening for his sake. He didn’t want them to get hurt because of him.

“The fucking pig shot him,” Delirious growled. “We were robbing a store! We didn’t even do fucking anything to them and he fucking shot him!” The last of the rope fell around him but before Mini had a chance to stretch out his limbs, Delirious harshly grabbed his arm and hoisted him to his feet. “And now you’re going to stitch him up and save his life, and I swear if he fucking dies, I’ll gut you like a fucking fish,” he threatened, and began tugging him up the stairs.

Mini’s mind was racing a mile a minute as he struggled to process what was happening. Tyler shot Basically unprovoked? But why? That didn’t sound like him at all, and his heart sank when he realised that they weren’t actually coming to rescue him. However, Nogla had told him the day before that they were all set to meet tomorrow to trade him off, so he hadn’t completely lost hope just yet. In fact, he was a little relieved to hear that they hadn’t tried to conduct some sort of ridiculous and dangerous rescue attempt after all. He didn’t want them putting their lives at risk for his sake.

Nogla held the door open at the top of the stairs for them and Delirious pushed him through into a hallway, but before he could get a good look at his surroundings, he was dragged into the kitchen. Basically was sat at the kitchen table obviously in pain, Scotty in the chair next to him holding a freshly blood stained rag to his shoulder. Lui and a Mexican man he had never seen before stood off to the side by the sink, and once they noticed him entering the room, Lui stepped protectively in front of him.

“L-Lui? W-Who is this cabron[1]?”  he stuttered, and Mini recognised the voice as being Droidd’s. “I-Is he uh… another friend of yours?”

“Something like that,” Lui replied vaguely. “I’ll explain later.”

Delirious let go of him and shoved him forwards, and Mini stumbled a little in the direction of the table. When he righted himself, he noticed that everyone was staring at him, expecting him to do something, and he snapped into action. “Let me see,” he asked, and switched places with Scotty, looking to him as he sat down in the vacated chair. “And go get a first aid kit, and a needle and thread if there isn’t one already in it,” he ordered, and Scotty left in a hurry to go do what he was told.

Mini gently peeled the rag off his shoulder, Basically hissing in pain as the sticky fabric tugged at his damaged skin. The bullet had just clipped his shoulder, luckily missing any important veins and arteries. The wound wasn’t much deeper than the one Tyler sustained, and Mini was confident that if he just copied what Brock and Evan did exactly, then he should be able to take care of it, even if he was nervous about giving someone stitches for the first time.

“I need some warm soapy water and a cloth to clean this,” Mini said to no one in particular, and Droidd turned around to the sink and began filling up a bowl with water. While he waited, Mini kept pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.

“…Is it bad?” Basically asked, his voice strained and anxious, and Mini shook his head.

“Nah, you’ll be fine. You just need a few stitches and you’ll be right as rain,” he told them, and Basically and his gang all let out a collective sigh of relief. The worry they all had for their friend was heartwarming and brought a small smile to his face as he realised just how close and tight knit their group was. It reminded him of his own group of friends and his chest tightened and smile faultered. He missed them terribly, and couldn’t wait to be reunited with them all tomorrow.

Droidd timidly placed the water bowl on the table and handed him a dry cloth, and the second Mini took it from him, Lui had pulled him back towards the sink and was standing protectively in front of him once again. At the same time, Scotty returned with the first aid kit and set it down next to him, and then took a step back to give him room to work, but still hovered nearby to watch.

Tugging the rag off the wound again, Mini wondered if he should remove the bullet first, or begin with cleaning the wound like Evan did, and quickly decided the former. He opened the first aid kit and grabbed a pair of tweezers, before shuffling closer to Basically and lightly pressing his fingers on the area around the wound. “This is uh... going to hurt,” he warned him, and waited for Basically’s consent before beginning.

Mini tried to keep his hand as steady as possible as he poked into the wound, his stomach churning uncomfortably but he forced himself to push on regardless. Basically hissed and groaned as Mini dug the tweezers further into his skin and clasped the bullet, and then whimpered when he yanked them back out again. He dropped the pellet and the tool on the table before immediately grabbing the bloodied rag again and pressing it against the wound as it started to bleed again.

“I-Is that a- a bullet?!” Droidd asked in a panicked tone, eyes wide as dinner plates as he nervously gripped Lui’s shoulder.

“Yeah... he uh... um...” Lui admitted, but struggled to find the words to explain, and he looked to the others for help. Scotty and Delirious immediately looked away from him, avoiding eye contact, whilst Basically merely shook his head, intending to stay out of it.

Lui then turned to Nogla who was watching everything from the doorway, and he sighed. “Lui... You need to tell him the truth,” he reluctantly advised him, a frown in his voice. 

Lui’s shoulders sank in defeat and he sighed, realising Nogla was right. “Cariño... Hay algo que tengo que decirte[2],” he whispered, turning around to face the confused Droidd, taking his hands in his. 

“Qué es, cariño?[3]” Droidd asked, concerned and anxious. 

“Estoy... Estoy en...  _Estoy en una banda_ ,[4]” he said quickly, giving his hands a tight squeeze.

Mini didn’t speak a word of Spanish and therefore had no idea what they were talking about, but whatever Lui had just said seemed to have broken Droidd’s heart. His face fell and he pulled himself out of Lui’s grip and backed up into the sink, head shaking in disbelief. “Q-Qué?[5]” he asked, his voice cracking and tears in his eyes.

“Estoy en una banda...” Lui repeated softly, and Droidd refused to look at him and clenched his eyes tightly shut. “Lo siento![6]“ 

“Usted me p-prometió que no- no lo haría![7]” Droidd exclaimed, edging himself further and further away from Lui, just barely holding himself together, shaking his head furiously in disbelief. 

“Yo sé, debido a su primo, y lo siento! Lo siento mucho! Por favor, perdónam[8]” Lui begged and tried to reach out to him, but Droidd pulled himself away from him and started to back away towards the door.

“T- T-Tengo que ir![9]” he announced and turned on his heel and dashed through the door past Nogla who made no attempts to stop him. Lui immediately chased after him, calling his name, and as soon as they’d left, the room filled with a palpable awkward silence.

The atmosphere was dense and quiet, and they could still hear the loud Spanish arguing coming from the other room. Mini was very curious as to what was going on between them and was tempted to ask, but knew that it wasn’t his place to do so. He had no right to know any of their personal details, and had little reason to know them as with any luck, he’d be permanently out of their lives in two days time anyway.

Now that the bleeding had slowed again, Mini pulled away the bloodied rag and switched for the clean one instead. He dipped it into the bowl of warm water which had cooled a little since Droidd had filled it, and began dabbing and wiping away the blood off Basically’s shoulder. “So have you ever been shot before?” Mini asked in an attempt to spark up some sort of conversation so they were no longer just sitting in uncomfortable silence.

“Uh... no...?” Basically replied, seemingly confused as to why Mini was asking him about this.

“None of us have,” Nogla piped up, and turned away from watching Droidd and Lui in the room across the hall to join them at the table instead. “This is a first for all of us,” he added, pulling out a chair next to him. As he sat down, Scotty wandered around to the other side of the table to sit next to Basically, while Delirious remained standing where he was, knife still in hand.

“Yeah, can’t say I recommend it either,” Basically drawled, earning a loud laugh from Scotty, and some chuckles from everybody else, including Mini himself. 

“What about you? Have you ever been shot?” Scotty asked, propping his elbow up on the table and resting his chin on his palm.

Mini shook his head. “No, not yet. I’ve been shot at, but I’ve never been shot,” Mini replied as he dipped the cloth back into the water, and then began cleaning the wound, Basically flinching at the contact. “Some of the others have though.”

There was a brief lull in the conversation as no one had anything to add, and in the break of their talk, Mini noticed that the Spanish arguing in the other room had quietened down to soft murmurs. “So... how did you guys blow up that gas station anyway?” Delirious asked to Mini’s surprise, and the others shot him a look for asking. “What? You’ve been fucking wondering too!”

“Uh... one of the guys shot at the pumps and the whole thing just went up,” Mini explained with a frown, as the memories of the explosion ran through his mind. The loud BOOM, the screams, and the smell of smoke and burning were still as vivid to him today as they were the day after the incident almost two weeks ago, and it wasn’t a memory he particularly liked to dwell on. “He thought it would get the cops of our back - and it did, for the rest of the night, but now they’re just pissed off at us, hence the bounties.”

At the mention of the bounties, Scotty and Nogla looked to Delirious, but none of them said anything about it. “And you survived that?” Basically asked, drawing their attention back to the discussion at hand, only to wince when Mini dabbed at a particularly sensitive area of his wound.

Mini nodded. “Yeah. Well, me and one of the others had managed to get away before it blew up, but the others found cover in the building and managed to get out in one piece around the back,” he explained, purposely skimping out on a lot of the details as to not give away any information that could be potentially used against them.

“Damn. You guys are hardcore,” Nogla commented, and Mini couldn’t help but laugh.

“That’s one way of putting it,” he chuckled, dropping the cloth and opening the first aid kit Scotty had retrieved for him earlier. He found scissors, and a needle and thread among the other supplies, and snipped off the appropriate length of thread that he’d need. He then threaded the needle just like how Brock showed him, and lightly gripped Basically’s shoulder again. “This might hurt a bit,” he warned him, and Basically took a deep breath and steeled himself.

Mini was nervous about stitching someone up for the first time and also took a deep breath to calm himself down, hoping this wouldn’t be too different from stitching oranges. Basically squeaked in pain the second the needle pierced his skin, clenching his fists and digging his fingernails into his palms. As Mini inserted the first stitch, Scotty reached over and gave his other non-injured shoulder a squeeze in support.

Mini was so deep in concentration while he was putting in the next stitch that he barely noticed Lui re-enter the room, but Droidd was still absent. “Is everything alright?” Nogla asked concerned, and Lui nodded slowly.

“Yeah, he just wants some time alone to think...” he told him, sad and disheartened, and Mini couldn’t help but feel bad for him, even if he didn’t know what was going on or what their relationship status was.

“Well at least you still have us, bitch!” Delirious exclaimed, throwing an arm around Lui’s shoulders and pulling him into a friendly headlock.

“Hey! Quit it!” Lui squeaked in that high pitched voice he was very fond of using. “Or I’m going to tell my Mom on you and then you’ll be sorry!” he joked, and Delirious and Scotty cackled loudly.

Mini smiled warmly to himself. Between the concern they showed, and the way they comforted and joked around with each other, he could tell that their gang really was just a group of close, tight knit friends much like his own. Watching them now, he was beginning to think they weren’t all that dangerous after all, and that all the threats they had thrown at him were empty. They were never going to hurt him, not unless he gave them an extreme reason to, and all his worrying was for nothing.

Mini finished putting in the last stitch and cut the thread, sitting back in his seat as he admired his handiwork. “There! Done,” he announced, quite pleased at how neat the stitches looked in spite of that being his first time stitching someone up. “You’ll need to get those taken out in a week or so, but any one of you can do that. Just watch a YouTube tutorial or something and you’ll be good,” he added and pulled some bandages out of the first aid kit and began wrapping them around his shoulder.

“What? You not gonna come back and take them out for me?” Basically asked, and Mini panicked for a brief moment before Basically started laughing. “I’m just fucking with you buddy, calm down,” he said, smirking behind his mask. “I’ll just get one of these assholes to do it and hope they’re competent for once.”

“Hey I can be competent sometimes!” Nogla defended himself, a frown in his voice.

“Yeah Nogla, key word:  _sometimes_.”

“Oh fuck off!”

“You said it!”

Mini shook his head at their antics and once he was finished wrapping the wound and tidying everything back up, Scotty and Nogla escorted him back downstairs. It didn’t feel right to be going back down to the basement as he felt like he’d bonded with them a little bit, but at the same he didn’t really mind. He was going back home tomorrow and could withstand being tied up for just one more night, knowing that by this time tomorrow, he’d have traded the lonely flat mattress for Tyler’s warm bed, assuming he’d let him share with him again.

The ropes were in pieces from when Delirious cut them and so they only had enough to bind his wrists together and not his torso. Nogla promised to bring him down some food later and disappeared back upstairs again, but Scotty hung around, seemingly nervous about something.

“Hey uh... thanks for that- for helping him,” he said stiffly, awkwardly moving around on the spot. “You’re uh... You’re not that bad.”

“Thanks?” Mini replied with a slight smirk, eyebrow raised. “You’re not that bad either.”

Scotty nodded gratefully at him, and Mini could just make out the smile on his face through his balaclava, and he turned and left the basement after Nogla, and soon Mini was alone again. He kicked the unused cut pieces of rope off the mattress and snuggled down into it as much as he could and closed his eyes, imagining that he was back home and cuddled in Tyler’s arms.

\---

Mini was harshly awoken the next morning by Scotty and Lui entering the basement, talking loudly among themselves.  He slowly and drowsily sat up as they approached his mattress, doing his best to wipe the sleep from his eyes even though his hands were still bound together. Lui had a sniper rifle strapped to his back, and they both had pistols hanging from the holsters clipped to their belts. 

For a brief moment, Mini wondered what was going on until it suddenly clicked, and his heart jumped. He was going home! They were coming to get him so he could finally go back to his friends where he belonged. It had been days since they’d seen him and it was rare that there was a moment where he didn’t think of him-  _them_ , think of  _them_ , and he was excited to be finally reunited with them again.

“Morning, bitch!” Scotty greeted him with a grin. “Ready to go?” Mini beamed and quickly climbed to his feet, and Scotty began loosening the ropes. Once they were undone, he lightly grabbed his wrists and pinned them around his back and tied them together again.

“My teacher always said not to travel anywhere without a buddy, so Fourzer0 is going to be your buddy today so nobody gets lost!” Lui squeaked out as Scotty gently pushed him towards the stairs.

“Who’s going to be your buddy, Lui?” Scotty asked, indulging him in his odd child persona, and Lui gave an exaggerated sigh and slumped his shoulders.

“I don’t have one!” he exclaimed sadly, and Scotty laughed.

Mini paid neither of them much attention as they escorted him upstairs, his mind too preoccupied with the excitement of seeing the guys again. He missed Brock’s laugh, and Brian’s snark, and Evan’s sly smirk that usually accompanied a joke at his expense. He missed Tyler’s dumb jokes, and his stupid face, and his smile, and that odd wheeze of his that happened every time he started laughing just a little too hard. 

Sure he was nervous and worried that something bad might happen when this gang and his own group meet up, and the fear was sure to set in soon, but for now, he was excited about finally returning home.

He was going home, and that’s all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the short-ish, somewhat filler chapter <3 I was going to write something different originally, then realised I couldn't do that without a bit more character development, so I had to go back and write a few of these scenes, so not a lot ended up happening this time around. The next chapter is going to be exciting though, so at least we have that to look forward to!
> 
> Speaking of the next chapter, it's probs going to be a while as I'm now entering exam season, so for the next two weeks or so, updates will likely be very slow; partly because I need to study, partly because I want to take my time with this next chapter and make sure it's done right as it's one I've been looking forward to writing for a very long time. So sorry for these delays, but it'll be worth it (or at least I like to think so :P). 
> 
> \--
> 
> Translations:
> 
> [1] Cabron – Asshole
> 
> [2] Cariño... Hay algo que tengo que decirte - Honey... There’s something I have to tell you
> 
> [3] Qué es, cariño? - What is it, honey?
> 
> [4] Estoy... Estoy en... Estoy en una banda - I'm... I’m in.. I’m in a gang
> 
> [5] Qué? - What?
> 
> [6] ¡Lo siento! - I’m sorry
> 
> [7] Usted me p-prometió que no- no lo haría! - You promised me you wouldn’t
> 
> [8] Yo sé, debido a su primo, y lo siento! Lo siento mucho! Por favor, perdóname - I know, because of your cousin, and I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Please, forgive me!
> 
> [9] Tengo que ir - I need to go


	10. Mexican Standoff

Mini wished he didn’t have to wear a burlap sack over his head and have his hands bound behind his back, but he understood why it was necessary. The gang didn’t want him to know where their base was, especially since Mini was fairly certain that a few of them lived in that house, so he didn’t blame them for wanting to keep its location a secret. He wouldn’t want them to know where his base or living space was either, and in fact was the entire reason why he was currently in the backseat of a car on the way to an abandoned warehouse in the first place.

Scotty sat on one side of him, lightly gripping his arm, and Delirious sat on his left, pressed far up against the door so that not even their knees were touching. Basically was driving and humming along to whatever was playing on the radio, which seemed to be some sort of rap station that Mini had never even heard of, and Lui and Nogla were absent, most likely in another car.

It felt like they had been driving for an hour, but without a clock, Mini couldn’t be sure. He tried to memorize every turn they had taken to try and get a rough estimation of where they were going and perhaps where they came from, but quickly gave up when it proved too difficult. He would find out where they were bringing him to soon enough, and he had no reason for needing to know where their base was anyway. Still, he would have liked to have figured it out just in case.

The car took a sharp turn to the left and began to slow down, and soon they were parked outside their destination. He could hear the sounds of seat belts unclicking and car doors opening, and could feel someone taking his seat belt off for him as he was unable to do it himself. As soon as it was removed, Scotty lightly grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the car, shutting the door behind them, and began leading him somewhere else.

“What took you guys so long?” he heard Nogla ask, and realised that the two groups must have just met up again. 

“Shut the fuck up! We pulled up right after you!” Delirious laughed in response, and Mini thought he heard the sound of him playfully smacking Nogla, who was chuckling along with him.

“Well, you all got here before the other gang, so I’ll consider that a victory,” an unexpected voice said, and Mini tensed when he heard Sark speak. What was he doing here?! No one had told him that Sark was going to be here too! “Is this your little hostage?” he continued, and Mini could hear his footsteps approach him, and he was tempted to step back but couldn’t because Scotty was gripping his bound wrists behind him. “I dread to see what he looks like under that sack.”

“Why?” Nogla asked, confused and curious.

“Well, I’m assuming you tortured the poor fellow at least a little bit, right?” Sark chuckled, but was met with silence. “...You didn’t hurt him? At all?” he asked surprised. “Now, I hate to be the kind of person who criticizes another man’s schemes, but surely if you’re going to kidnap someone with the express purpose of scaring his friends into doing what you want, you’re not going to want to hand him back  _unscathed_. Handing him back untouched doesn’t really prove that you’re willing to hurt them if they step out of line, which  _I think_  is what you were going for?”

“Well... yeah, but... isn’t  _torture_  a little extreme?” Basically asked, and Mini was thankful that he had that stance on hurting him, and once again found himself internally cursing out Sark’s name.

“You know, some might say that kidnapping a guy and shooting another over a few stores is also a little extreme,” Sark pointed out.

“You told us that we had to protect our turf!” Basically exclaimed, and Mini could easily picture him waving his arms in frustration.

“Hey, I never said that  _I_  would say that! I think kidnapping is perfectly reasonable in this situation! But I also think you might want to rough him up just a little before his crew comes to pick him up. Words will only get you so far, but a black eye or two would REALLY drive your point home.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Basically grumbled, not sounding thankful at all.

“You’re welcome. Now why don’t you boys head inside and get yourselves prepared before the others do show up. I’ll wait out here for Mini’s pals and send them in when you’re ready,” Sark offered. 

There was a chorus of grumbled agreement between the gang, and he soon found himself being pushed forward again. The walk to the building was short, and he heard Basically and Delirious cursing to themselves as they struggled to slide open the heavy door, which screeched loudly as it scraped across the cement, causing Mini to flinch. As soon as it was open wide enough, Scotty lead him through into a cool room, the Los Santos sun no longer beaming down onto his bare arms.

Their footsteps seemed to echo as they walked further into the building, and the way Scotty’s voice reverberated off the walls around them as he commented on how creepy their surroundings were made him think that they must be in a large empty room of sorts, and were likely in the abandoned warehouse they told him they were bringing him to. After a few moments, Scotty stopped him and turned him around to face the direction from where they came, and after another moment, the sounds of footsteps ceased as the others came to a halt next to them.

“I think I could get a good vantage point up on those catwalks,” Lui mused, and Mini wished they would take the sack off now so he could see what they were talking about.

“Go for it,” Basically agreed, and he could hear the light patter of Lui’s feet as he began to walk away, and then Basically sighing. “You don’t think... we should listen to Sark, do you?” he asked, unsure.

“Are you seriously suggesting we fucking hurt him?!” Nogla exclaimed defensively, and Mini sure as hell hoped that he wasn’t suggesting that, especially after how against it he seemed only a few minutes ago.

“I don’t fucking know! Maybe?” Basically admitted, and Nogla groaned. “Hey I don’t think we should either, but Sark had a point. We can’t just hand him back in one piece, because who’s to say they won’t just back out of the deal as soon as they’re all reunited?”

“They could still do that even if we do hurt him,” Scotty pointed out.

“Well, yeah, I guess... but they’d be less likely to try something if they know we’re capable of hurting any one of them!” Basically argued. “If they cared about him at all, then they’re not going to do something that puts him in MORE danger!” 

Mini frowned harshly at the implication that his friends might not care about him. Of course they did. They were his _friends,_ they’re probably worried sick about him. Hell, he was worried sick about  _them_ , and he was the one who was kidnapped and effectively held for ransom.

“But what if-”

“Shut up! Let’s just do this!” Delirious interrupted and sharply tugged the sack off Mini’s head, and he shut his eyes tight out of reflex when he was suddenly exposed to the light to stop himself from being blinded.

The warehouse they were in wasn’t too bright, but light still filtered through the high broken windows, catching on the dust particles floating in the air. There were piles of bricks and debris scattered all across the ground, and Mini was surprised they didn’t trip on any of them on the way in. Metal catwalks hung from the rafters above them, and Mini could spot Lui sitting up on one as he set up his sniper rifle.

But Mini was more concerned about the blade in Delirious’ hands than he was about the warehouse.

Delirious grabbed Mini’s chin and held his head still, and Mini gulped at the thought of what was about to happen. He clenched his eyes tightly shut in anticipation, his whole body tensing up in fear, and he began to breathe deeply to calm himself down.

“Delirious! No!” Nogla exclaimed in disapproval, but Mini still felt the knife lightly graze his cheekbone and his breath hitched.

“Relax, Nogla! I’m just going to make a little cut, and it probably won’t even scar!” Delirious reassured them, but Mini didn’t feel much better about it, especially when Delirious began pressing the knife into his skin.

Mini winced as a sharp pain shot through him, and he reflexively tried to pull away but couldn’t as Delirious and Scotty’s grip on him was too strong. His breathing was ragged and his heartbeat quickened as he clenched his eyes shut even tighter and grinded his teeth together. He could feel blood trickle down his cheek when Delirious pulled the knife away, and the wound seemed to sting even more now that it was exposed to the cool air in the room.

“There. See? Just a little cut,” Delirious said and began wiping the blood off his knife with his sleeve, seemingly more concerned with keeping his blade clean than his clothes. “That’ll do the trick. When they come in here and see him covered in blood, they’ll shit themselves.”

“Or try to kill us for hurting him,” Scotty piped up, an edge of fear in his voice.

“That’s why we have guns, remember? If we keep one pointed at each of them the entire time they’re here, then they’re not going to try anything,” Basically explained, but then added “At least not today, anyway.”

“Oh that’s comforting!” Scotty chuckled nervously, and Basically sighed.

“You’ll be fine, Fourzer0,” Basically reassured him, reaching past Mini so he could place a hand on his shoulder. “If any of them even so much as touches you, I’ll personally see to it that they get what’s coming to them. Promise.”

Before Scotty could respond to that, they could hear Sark suddenly start talking to someone outside and they all snapped their attention to the door. Mini couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying and was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything but the sharp pain in his cheek, but it didn’t take much guessing for him to figure out who had just arrived, and Mini smiled in spite of himself.

They’re here. His friends had finally come for him. He was going home.

“Shit. Everybody into position!” Basically called out, slightly panicked as he scrambled to pull out his gun.

Nogla, Basically, and Delirious all formed a line in front of him and Scotty, hiding them both. Delirious sheathed his knife and armed himself with the shotgun that was previously slung over his back instead, Nogla doing the same, and all three of them raised their guns and pointed them at the entrance. Scotty shuffled behind him as he reached into his belt for something, and then Mini felt the ice cold barrel of a pistol press against his jaw, and his squeaked in surprise.

The line of armed men was blocking his view, but Mini craned his neck and adjusted himself until he could see his friends walk in, all carrying weapons they didn’t own when he left them. What did they get up to while he was gone?

There was a knot of nerves in his stomach as he watched Brian waltz in, some sort of AK in his hands that Mini had never seen before, and Brock trailed in after him with a matching gun and mask as always. Tyler followed in after them, shotgun clenched tightly in his hands, and he quickly scanned the room, obviously looking for him. Evan didn’t come in with his familiar SMG until a few moments later, and when he sauntered in as if he owned the place, Mini could feel Scotty's grip on him tighten and watched as the others shifted around nervously. Were they afraid of Evan?

His friends all stopped about twenty feet away from them and stood in a line similar to the one the other gang were in, except Evan took a few more steps closer and stood slightly in front of the rest, clearly differentiating himself as the leader. “I hear you have our medic,” he said casually as if discussing the weather, his voice easily cutting through the palpable tension in the room, and Mini had never been so relieved to hear his voice.

The gang looked to one another as they tried to decide on which of them should speak, nodding and gesturing in a silent argument. Eventually Basically volunteered himself and he turned back to Evan. “Yeah, yeah he’s here,” he confirmed, and the line parted to allow Scotty to push him forward until they were stood between Delirious and Basically himself.

The second he came into their view and they spotted the pistol held against his jaw, Tyler snapped into action and immediately pointed his gun at Scotty’s head without so much as a second thought. This triggered a chain reaction of sorts, and everyone from both groups were quick to point their weapon at someone else. Basically took aim at Tyler the second he pulled his gun on Scotty, and Brian took aim at him. Delirious aimed at Brian, and in turn Brock aimed at Delirious, and Nogla aimed at Brock. Evan didn’t so much as flinch and continued to hold his gun loosely in front of him, even though Mini knew that he noticed how Lui up on the catwalk adjusted his sniper rifle so it was aimed directly at his head.

Now that his view was no longer blocked, Mini took the moment of silence that ensued as an opportunity to really examine his friends, scanning them all to make sure they hadn’t been hurt in his absence, and was relieved to see no visible injuries. Brock had a bandage wrapped around his upper arm from when Scotty had shot him that day he was kidnapped, but other than that, everyone seemed fine.

More than fine, actually. They were all dressed up in the gear they had stolen specifically for robberies and the bank heist, and seeing them all lined up like this with guns raised really made them look like an actual gang. Brian looked pretty cool in his black leather jacket, and even though they had joked at the time that Brock looked like a college kid on Spring break in his ensemble, somehow he made the aesthetic work for him. Evan was as terrifying as ever in his distinct red leather jacket and owl mask, and his surprisingly relaxed and uncaring demeanor only made him seem more intimidating. 

Mini still thought that Tyler looked ridiculous in those zebra print trousers and dumb bicycle helmet, but his sheer attitude balanced it out somewhat. His knuckles were white from gripping his gun so tightly, and his whole body was so tense and rigid that Mini could practically feel the anger radiating off of him. He couldn’t see his eyes, but it still wasn’t hard to envision the cold hard glare he was staring down Scotty with.

Evan was staring at Mini, drinking him in, carefully scrutinizing him for any injuries. He stared long and hard at the cut on his cheek, and Mini wished he could see his face or knew what he was thinking. “...So are you going to tell us what you want for him or what?” Evan asked after a moment of examination, his tone cold and nonchalant, eyes drifting from Mini to Basically.

“A-ah yeah!” Basically said, and then cleared his throat. “We’ll give him back to you on one condition:  _You_  promise to keep your men off of our turf," he began, straightening his back in an act of faux confidence. “Otherwise, we won’t have any choice but to grab him again and make it so that the next time you see him, it'll be in itty bitty pieces. Right, Delirious?”

“Right,” Delirious confirmed, and made a motion to reach for his knife, but quickly changed his mind as he didn’t want to stop aiming his gun at Brian.

Evan seemed to take a moment to process that, before replying. “...Your turf?”

“Yeah, ‘ _our turf_ ’,” Basically repeated himself. “All those stores you’ve been robbing are in  _our_  part of the city, and we want you  _out_. You keep taking  _our_  money and we’re sick of it, and we’re not afraid to fight every single one of you bastards to protect it. That’s  _our_  money, not  _yours_ , and unless you swear to fuck off to another part of the city and never step foot on  _our_  fucking turf again, then this’ll be the last time you ever see your precious medic alive.”

“...So it’s money you’re after?” Evan asked, seemingly missing the point completely, and his question caught Basically off guard.

“Well, no. We’re not looking for your money. We just want you to rob different stores and stop stealing all of our fucking profits before we get a chance to!” he clarified, doing his best to keep his tone sharp and harsh in spite of his confusion.

“I understood that. What I meant was, are you doing all of this for money? Like, did you pull this whole kidnapping stunt to eventually albeit  _indirectly_  get yourselves more cash?”

“Y-yeah, I guess, when you put it that way,” Basically replied, sounding much more confused and skeptical as he tried to figure out where he was going with this. Admittedly, Mini  _himself_  didn’t know what Evan was trying to get at either, and by the way Brian and Brock were side-eyeing him, neither did his friends. 

“Huh. Funny, that’s what we’re after too,” Evan mused, tilting his head to the side as a plan formed in his mind.

“Yeah well, you’re going to have to go and get it on somebody else’s fucking turf, especially if you want us to hand your medic back with his head still in tact,” Basically reiterated his point, but that didn’t seem to deter Evan from whatever it was he was considering.

“...Do you consider the Pacific Standard as part of ‘your turf’?” 

Basically looked to Nogla, unsure, who merely shrugged in response. “Uhh... No, I guess not. You can have the Pacific Standard,” he told him with a curt nod.

“Is that because it’s not on your turf, or are you just not interested in robbing it?” Evan pressed further, and Mini was very confused as to why he was asking all of these questions. Shouldn’t he have agreed to their terms and got him back by now? What was he trying to do?

Basically shared another look with Nogla, before turning back to Evan again, eyeing him warily, concerned about the direction the conversation was going. “I guess we just... never really considered it...”

“Would you be willing to? Consider it, I mean,” Evan asked, and Mini just  _barely_ managed to stop himself from interrupting them to ask what on earth he was trying to pull. 

Brian, however, didn't have the same restraint that he had and blurted out the question that was on everybody’s mind. “ _Vanoss, what the fuck are you doing_?!” he interjected in a hushed tone, eyes darting back and forth from Evan and Basically, who he was still pointing his gun at. “Are you trying to get Mini killed?!” At the mention of his name, everyone looked to him and Mini shuffled uncomfortably in Scotty’s grip, acutely aware of the gun still pressed to his jaw, the open cut on his face still stinging terribly. 

“No, I’m trying to recruit,” Evan replied, lowering his voice to a whisper too, but was fairly pointless considering they could still hear him.

“ _What_?!” Brian hissed, and then realization dawned on him as he finally figured out what he was trying to do. “ _These guys_ , Vanoss, really?! You want  _these guys_  to help us with the bank robbery?!  _Are you out of your fucking mind_?!  _They shot Moo_!”

“And kidnapped Mini,” Brock added helpfully.

“Yeah, that too,” Brian conceded with a nod.

“Well we have to ask  _somebody_ , and what’s the difference between asking this gang and asking another one?” Evan asked, and Brian audibly groaned.

“The difference is other gangs haven’t threatened to or attempted to  _kill us_!”

Mini thought that Brian had made a good point. From their point of view, this gang was one that had kidnapped him, hurt him, and shot Brock for trying to run away, and had threatened his life on more than one occasion. As far as they were concerned, the people in this gang were  _not_  good people. Mini had spent enough time with them by now to have figured out that their gang was not much different than his own group of friends, and that like them, they were pushed towards a life of crime out of desperation, and everything they did, they did because they felt like they  _had_  to. 

Evan didn’t have any of this information, so the fact he was so willing to try and recruit them into helping them with the Pacific Standard Public Deposit Bank robbery was concerning. Had he lost his marbles? Or did he know more than he was letting on?

While they argued on in quiet tones and everyone else shifted uncomfortably in their spots, Mini’s eyes flitted to Tyler as he was curious as to what he thought about all of this, and why he hadn’t said anything yet. He would have thought that Tyler would have a lot to say to the people that kidnapped him, and to Evan for trying to befriend them, but Mini had yet to hear a peep from him. Boss’s orders, perhaps?

Tyler was looking straight at him and Scotty, gaze unwavering, gun still pointed firmly at Scotty’s head. He shifted a little when they made eye contact, but otherwise remained sturdy in his stance. His shoulders were stiff and rigid, and was obviously still very pissed off. Mini gave him a small smile in a silent gesture to let him know that he was okay and that he didn’t need to worry, and Tyler’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

“Look,” Evan said finally in a sharp tone, drawing all attention back onto him. “Here’s how this is going to go down.  _You’re_  going to hand us back our medic, and  _we’re_  going to stay off your turf, and not only that, but  _you’re_  going to help us rob the Pacific Standard. You’ll each get a cut off the profits of course, and after that, we never step foot in your area of the city again, as promised. We never see each other again, we never hear from each other again, and all of our lives will go back to how they were before all of this went down, except we’re a couple of ten thousand dollars richer. Understand?”

There was a moment of tense, palpable silence as the other gang glanced between each other, mulling over his offer. “...And if we refuse?” Basically asked, hesitant.

“We’ll take our medic and leave you and your turf alone, as per the original agreement. We’re not  _rejecting_  your proposal, just altering it into something that’s much more beneficial to the both of us,” Evan clarified with a slight shrug, and Mini frowned. Surely getting him back in one piece was beneficial enough, but he trusted that Evan knew what he was doing. Or at least, he hoped he did.

“I don’t think you’re in much of a position to be altering anything,” Basically challenged, nodding towards Scotty who poked him with his pistol a little harder when gestured to.

“Neither are you, to be fair,” Evan shot back. “If your friend shoots our medic, then  _my friend_ over here shoots him, and then you shoot  _him_ , which will set off a chain reaction of people shooting each other until the only ones left standing are the monkey in the catwalks and the man in the paper bag. Unless you’re trying to tell me that your gang is more than satisfied to walk away from this with less than half of its members still breathing, then I don’t think you are in much of a position to be demanding too much of us either.” 

Basically swore under his breath, realising that Evan was right, and that they didn’t have as much leverage as they originally thought. He turned to Nogla on his left, and quietly asked him what they should do, but only received a shrug in response. He then turned to Scotty and Delirious on his right and posed the same question, but neither of them were sure that they should accept Evan’s deal either. It was difficult for him to communicate with Lui while he was perched so high up, but Lui seemed to get the gist of what he was being asked anyway, and shrugged as well.

“You don’t have to agree to anything right now, y’know,” Evan informed them, and the gang stopped whispering among themselves to listen to him again. “I understand that you probably want to discuss it among yourselves first, as it is a big decision after all. So if you want, you can hand over our medic now, we’ll leave you alone, and then you can get back to us through Sark about what you want to do. Sound good?”

The gang glanced and nodded at each other again in a silent discussion about whether or not they that was fair, before quickly coming to an agreement. “Alright. We’ll think about it,” Basically said, nodding curtly at Evan. “But we make no promises that we’ll help you.”

“Fair enough,” Evan nodded in understanding. "Now, now that’s that out of the way, why don’t you hand over our medic? We’ve waited long enough, and I’d rather not wait much longer.”

Basically nodded again, and lightly tapped Scotty’s arm to encourage him to step forward. All eyes were on them as Scotty lead him across the warehouse, and Tyler kept his shotgun firmly trained on him as they walked. Once they reached the halfway point, Scotty let go of him and removed the gun from his jaw, instead aiming it at Tyler as he backed back into line, leaving Mini to stand alone in the middle of the room.

The atmosphere in the room was so dense you could cut it with a knife, and Mini half expected something bad to happen and break the tense silence that enveloped them. All of the undivided attention on him made him feel uncomfortable, and he took a deep breath before slowly stepping forward and making his way towards his friends, heart beating fast in his chest.

Evan adjusted his grip on his gun so that he was only holding onto it with one hand and took a few steps forward to meet him. As soon as he was close enough, Evan lightly grabbed Mini’s chin and tilted his head so he could inspect the cut on his cheek more closely. Once he had examined it enough, he dropped his hand to Mini’s shoulder and quickly gave him a once over, scanning the rest of his body for any further injuries.

“Did they hurt you anywhere else?” he asked lowly and looked him in the eye, a slight edge to his voice. “Because if they did, now is the time to tell me.”

“No, just the cheek,” Mini informed him, and couldn’t help but smile at how protective of him Evan was being. He missed this. He missed him, and all of his friends so much, and it felt good knowing that he’d be going back home with them soon, though he couldn’t let himself get too excited as they weren’t out of trouble just yet.

Satisfied that he was telling the truth, Evan looked over his shoulder at the gang again, who were watching their exchange warily. “Think about my offer. We could use the extra pairs of hands and the reward is pretty sweet. You won’t regret it,” Evan said, sliding his hand down to Mini’s back. “We’ll be hearing from you,” he finished, before turning his back to them and began leading Mini towards the exit.

Evan waved for the rest of their friends to follow them, and they obediently began backing towards the entrance way, keeping their weapons aimed at their respective targets. Mini looked back over his shoulder at the gang as Evan escorted him away, and watched for a moment as Basically and Lui stared after them while the others murmured about something or other among themselves. Mini frowned, and had the feeling that this wasn’t the last time he was going to be seeing them. 

The hot sun beat down upon them as soon as they stepped outside, and Mini hissed to himself as the light breeze blew against his wound, aggravating it and hurting him more. Sark was waiting for them outside the warehouse, and hopped off the crate he was sitting on to approach them, and frowned, disappointed that he hadn’t left. He lightly grabbed Evan’s arm to stop him from walking to the car, but Evan harshly shrugged himself out of his grip and glared him down.

“Alright. I got it. I shouldn’t touch you. My bad,” Sark apologised, raising his hands defensively. “I just wanted to know if you asked them to help you like we discussed,” he told him, and Mini suddenly understood why Evan had tried to recruit them. He must have mentioned to Sark that they were understaffed for the bank robbery, and he recommended that they ask the gang that had kidnapped him. It made sense, but Mini wasn’t sure how he felt about Evan trusting Sark again, especially after everything he had done. 

“Yeah, I asked them. I don’t know if they’ll agree to it though,” Evan replied, a frown in his voice.

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk them into it,” Sark promised with an easy smile, and reached to pat Evan on the shoulder only to immediately change his mind when he remembered how he reacted the last time he touched him, and snapped his fingers instead. “But hey! Congrats on getting Mini back! I’ve got to admit, it’s nice to see your gang all back together.”

“It’s good to be back,” Mini smiled, and allowed himself to relax for the first time in a long time. It was nice to be back with his friends again, and he was looking forward to everything going back to normal.

“I’m glad to hear it, and I’ll let you boys saunter on home. You have a lot of catching up to do,” Sark said, and bid them goodbye before disappearing into the warehouse to go talk to the other guys.

They hadn’t been left alone for a moment before Mini was tackled into a hug, a pair of arms tightly wrapping around him as he was pulled into a pink chest. For a brief shining moment, he thought it was Tyler and his heart jumped, until he spotted the bald eagle mask and realised it was Brock. 

“I’m so fucking sorry for leaving you behind, Mini,” he confessed, his voice filled with guilt, and Mini instantly felt like a horrible person for being disappointed that he wasn’t Tyler. “I shouldn’t have ran. I should have stayed and helped you and maybe this wouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t think like that. If you had have stayed, they would have just kidnapped you too,” Mini reassured him, wishing his hands weren’t still bound so he could squeeze him back. “It’s better you got away because you didn’t have to go through this shit, and I was happy knowing that you were safe. Besides, now I’m back and we’re all together again. Everything worked out in the end so don’t worry about it,” he told him, smiling into his shoulder. “...I’d hug you back if I could, Moo, but my hands are tied.”

“Hey, puns are my thing,” Brock replied, and Mini chuckled, glad that he had cheered him up somewhat. Brock didn’t deserve to be sad, so to hear that his mood had lifted was a relief.

“I’ve got you,” Evan said, setting his gun aside and pulling a penknife out of his pocket. As he began to cut the ropes that bound his wrists together, Brock let go of him and took a step back, and Mini’s gaze drifted from his mask to the bandage wrapped around his upper arm, and he frowned.

“Who stitched you up?” he asked curiously, once again feeling guilty that he wasn’t around to take care of his bullet wound like he was supposed to.

“Evan did,” Brock laughed, and Mini’s head snapped to Brian when he remembered that he didn’t know their real names. Brian didn’t seem to react in any way and continued to talk to Tyler as they both stalked off towards the car they had stolen, meaning that at some point he must have found out what their names were. How much did he miss when he was gone?

“Why’s that funny?” Evan asked with mock offense and finished cutting him free, the ropes easily falling to the ground. Mini stretched out his stiff arms now that he could, pleased that he could finally move without restraint again.

“Because you did a terrible job!” Brock told him with a hint of amusement, and Evan gave him an over-exaggerated gasp. “I’m surprised the wound hasn’t gotten infected yet or that my arm hasn’t fallen off!”

“I didn’t think it was that bad for a first try!” Evan admitted, collecting his gun from where he’d left it, casually rearming himself.

“Evan. You constantly had to remove stitches because you kept putting them in wrong.”

As painful as it sounded, Mini couldn’t help but laugh, especially at the way Evan folded his arms in a huff. “Why didn’t you ask Brian or Tyler do it?” he asked out of curiosity. They didn’t have much experience with giving stitches either, but maybe they would have handled it better than Evan did.

“I would have, but Brian was in hysterics when he saw that I had gotten shot. I honestly wouldn’t have trusted him to hold a pen never mind a needle his hands were shaking that much,” Brock chuckled, adopting a soft, fond tone as he recalled what had happened. “As for Tyler... well... he was... really mad at me when he found out that I let them grab you that I honestly didn’t trust him to do it...” 

That caught Mini by surprise. “Tyler was mad at you?” he asked, taken aback, and turned to look where Tyler was standing by the car out of earshot. His shoulders still looked tense and rigid, and he was gripping onto the roof of the car tightly as he listened to whatever Brian was telling him. He still looked so enraged, and Mini couldn’t understand why. They got him back, he was safe now, so he shouldn’t have had a reason to be mad any longer. What was going on with him?

“Yeah, he was super pissed off,” Brock explained, both his and Evan’s gazes following his line of sight and turning to watch their other two friends as well. “Hell, he was so mad that Evan had to go full on Mom mode and send him out of the room just to get him to stop yelling.”

Mini frowned, eyebrows furrowing together as he continued to stare on at Tyler. Why was he so pissed off at Brock? It wasn’t his fault that all this had happened. In fact, Mini had specifically told him to run off and leave him behind so that he could save himself and wouldn’t get kidnapped too. Why would he blame Brock?

And furthermore, why hasn’t he said anything to him yet? Mini would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed that Tyler hadn’t scooped him up into a hug the first second he could. He was locked up in a basement for several days and had plenty of time to fantasize about being reunited with him again, and so far he wasn’t living up to his expectations. Instead of squeezing him tightly like he imagined he would, Tyler had walked past him to the car with Brian and seemed to be avoiding him completely. He was still so angry, and Mini was beginning to get worried. Was he alright?

His concern must have shown on his face as Evan lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about him. He’s gone through some shit these past few days, but he’ll come around,” he said, patting him on the shoulder reassuringly. “I know for a fact that there’s a lot of things he wants to say to you, he’s probably just waiting until you’re both home alone.” 

“Speaking of home, we should probably head back. Mini might need me to stitch up that cut on his cheek and we should do that sooner rather than later,” Brock suggested, and Evan nodded in agreement, once again sliding his hand onto Mini’s back and gently nudging him forward.

“Right. Let’s head home,” he announced, and began leading him to the car, and he felt a flutter in his chest at his words.  _He was finally going home_.

Brian and Tyler looked up at them as they approached, their conversation coming to a swift end now that they were within earshot. “Hey Mini! You’re not dead!” Brian cheered, and Mini could hear the grin in his voice. “It’s good to have you back, man.”

“Yeah,” Tyler agreed, and Mini got the impression that there was much more that he wanted to say, but he stopped himself before he blurted it all out.

“Thanks Brian, it’s good to be back,” Mini said with a grateful nod. “And to be honest, I’m looking forward to sleeping in an actual fucking bed again,” he added and side-eyed Tyler, hoping he picked up on what he was implying. But instead of acknowledging him making a comment on them maybe sharing a bed again, Tyler gripped the roof of the car tighter, and Mini realised that perhaps mentioning his poor sleeping arrangements to the man that looked like he was ready to kill something was not his best idea.

Seemingly not noticing Tyler’s reaction, Brian laughed and opened the car door to the driver’s seat, Brock and Evan following his lead and opening the other doors, quickly ducking inside. “Well let’s get you home then!” he exclaimed, and Mini couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

\----

Brock offered to stay the night at Brian’s so that Mini and Tyler could have some time alone, and Mini didn’t know whether Brock’s accompanied wink was aimed at them, or at whatever it was he was planning on doing with Brian. It had been several days now since he and Brock had that discussion about their love lives, and he was _still_  convinced that Mini liked Tyler, something he was more than willing to point out as he stitched up the cut on his cheek while they were at Evan’s apartment earlier. Mini of course  _strongly_  disagreed with him, but the point was getting harder and harder to argue as he realised that he wasn’t quite sure of his feelings any more.

 _Did_  he like Tyler...? He didn’t  _think_ so, but then again, he had spent a lot of time these past few days thinking about him, and how he acted when he was around him. He tried to come up with an explanation for all the fuzzy feelings and butterflies he felt around him, for his constant need to be close to him, and why it hurt so much that Tyler _hadn’t_  made a big deal about him coming home, but couldn’t. Him liking Tyler was beginning to look like the only explanation, but he wasn’t quite ready to admit that yet. He had other things to worry about right now anyway.

Brian and Brock had just dropped them off outside their apartment building and sped away to the building Brian lived in further downtown, leaving Mini and Tyler alone for the first time since before he was kidnapped. The air was awkward between them and Mini hated it, and it bothered him that there was so many words that he wanted to say to him but didn’t know how to begin. He wanted to get past this stiffness between them and go back to being the teasing best friends they always were, but he didn’t know what to say to make that happen, and it troubled him.

However, he could take solace in the fact that Tyler seemed to be feeling the same way. “Let’s uh... head inside,” he suggested, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, not making a move to unlock the door to the apartment building until Mini waved for him to lead the way. 

They walked upstairs in silence, Tyler slightly ahead of him. He had calmed down considerably since they had picked him up from the warehouse, and now that he was no longer tense or frustrated, he just looked exhausted, and had likely been very stressed out for the past few days. Every so often he’d turn around to check that Mini was still following behind him, as if he was worried that someone would jump out and grab him, and he’d suddenly disappear from his life again. 

Neither of them spoke again until they reached the door to their apartment, and Tyler slotted the key into the door but paused before turning it. “Uh... I haven’t cleaned at all since you...  _left,_ so the place might look like a bit like a dump,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Tyler. Our place has  _always_  looked like a dump,” Mini pointed out, and Tyler cracked a smile for the first time all day, and Mini had never felt more accomplished. He missed his smile, and missed the warm fuzzy feeling he always felt when he was the one who made Tyler smile, and his heart swelled.

“Yeah, well, it’s worse than usual. You’ll see,” he told him and unlocked the door and opened it, and held it ajar for Mini to come in.

Tyler wasn’t joking when he said their apartment was a mess. A worrying amount of empty bottles of beer and whiskey were perched by the sink waiting to be recycled next to a broken glass, and more bottles rested on the coffee table and on the floor by the couch as well. Mini’s blankets and pillows were rumpled in a pile on the couch as if someone had been sleeping there recently which was odd, as he hasn’t slept there in days. The bin was filled with half eaten Chinese food which was especially concerning, considering Tyler has never been one to waste food.

As Tyler shut the door behind him, Mini turned to face him again and really took in his disheveled appearance, now that he was worried about he’d been faring while he was gone. He was pale, almost sickly so, and there were obvious dark circles under his eyes. His right hand was covered in many tiny cuts, similar to the tiny cuts on his own wrists from when he’d cut them on the loose shards of glass on the night they blew up the gas station. He looked like he had gone through a hard time recently, and Mini frowned in worry.

“You look like shit,” he told him bluntly, not bothering to sugarcoat it, and Tyler lightly chuckled.

“So do you,” he shot back with a small fond smirk.

“Well, I haven’t showered in like, four days. What’s your excuse?”

“You haven’t showered? I can tell. You smell like a fucking trash compactor,” Tyler joked, and Mini couldn’t help but laugh.

He missed this. He missed the lighthearted teasing back and forth, the snide comments they always made at the other’s expense, and how they never went so far as to say something insulting. He missed joking around with him, and laughing at each other’s jokes until they couldn’t catch their breaths, and just missed hanging out with him in general. He missed Tyler, and the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

“I missed you.”

Those three words were all took for Tyler to snap and he rushed forward, grabbing Mini by the wrist and roughly tugging him into a tight hug. Mini had to place his hands on his chest to steady himself as Tyler wrapped his arms around him, pulling him flush against his body, burying his face into his hair. The sudden contact caught him off guard and it took him a minute to react, but once he realised what was happening, he tightly gripped onto Tyler’s shirt and tried to tug him even closer still, nuzzling his own face into the base of Tyler’s neck.

This was what he wanted. This closeness, this intimacy, this desperate embrace was the one thing he had been pining for the entire time he was alone in that basement. He longed to be this close to Tyler, close enough he could feel his heartbeat through his shirt and breathe in the lingering scent of mint aftershave on his skin. He wanted to feel his arms cradling him, and feel his hands gently massaging soothing circles into his back and shoulders.

He wanted this, so much, and now that he had it, he wasn’t about to let go.

“God fucking dammit Mini, I was so fucking worried about you,” he confessed, and Mini could feel his breath on the top of his head, his admission only quickening his already rapidly beating heart. “We had no fucking clue where you were, or what they were doing to you, and I was just... I was just so fucking worried that I would never see you again,” he added, tightening his grip on him ever so slightly.

“I know Tyler,  _I fucking know_. I thought the same thing, but I’m okay now,” he reassured him. “They didn’t hurt me- well, except on the cheek, but that was _it_. They didn’t torture me or anything and I’m fine.”

At the mention of his cut, Tyler pulled away a little to cup his cheek, and Mini’s breath hitched. He gently stroked the stitches on his cheekbone, ever so careful not to hurt him, eyes filled with heartache and concern as he studied the wound. Their faces were so close that he could easily lean in and kiss him, and it scared Mini to think about how he kind of wanted him to do exactly that, and he swallowed hard.

Maybe he did like Tyler after all.

It wasn’t long until Tyler had finished examining his face and he pulled Mini’s head back into his chest. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he told him, Mini’s stomach doing backflips at the firm, protective tone he was using. “Maybe if I had have gone with you then-”

“Don’t. It’s not your fault. You being there wouldn’t have changed anything. They still would have grabbed me, and maybe you too, so don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault,” Mini reiterated, pulling back so he could look him in the eye to further drive in his point.

Tyler avoided his gaze and looked away to a spot on the wall behind him. “But maybe I could’ve shot-”

“Tyler. Don’t. Just... don’t think like that. The past is in the past, and you can’t change what’s already done. What happened wasn’t your fault, and there was nothing you could have done to stop it. I’m here now, I’m okay, and that’s all that matters. Just let it go.”

Tyler took a moment to mull over his words before his shoulders sank in defeat and he nodded. “Okay. Okay,” he agreed softly, and pulled his head back into his chest once more, weaving his fingers into his hair.

“Besides,” Mini mumbled into his collar bone, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the tight embrace. “I hear you’ve already shot one of them anyway.”

“Yeah. Brock told me he was the one that grabbed you and I snapped,” Tyler all but growled. “I would have killed him too, if it meant getting you back. I would have done fucking  _anything_  if it meant getting you back. I was so worried about you...”

His words made his heart leap and Mini had to focus on his breathing to try and slow his heart down to a more regular pace. Tyler cared so deeply for him to the point that he would do absolutely anything to protect him, and it was rousing the butterflies in his stomach, and Mini was really starting to think there was some truth in Brock’s theories about his feelings after all. “I hear you yelled at Brock too,” he mumbled, his voice quiet.

“Yeah. Yeah that I regret,” Tyler groaned in an equally soft tone, his voice filled with guilt. “I just... wasn’t thinking straight. I reacted too quickly and I didn’t let him explain, and just got fucking pissed off. I’ve apologised a fuck ton to him since then, and I still feel fucking bad about it. He didn’t deserve the verbal onslaught I gave him, it wasn’t his fault.”

“Yeah, and it wasn’t your fault either, okay?” Mini repeated, reiterating his earlier point to make sure Tyler understood that he wasn’t to blame either, sliding his hands from Tyler’s chest down to waist so he could tug him that little bit closer. “I’m back, I’m here now, and now everything can go back to normal, and that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah,” Tyler agreed with a slight nod of his head. “Yeah.”

The room descended into a comfortable silence for a few moments but neither of them minded, both of them perfectly content to cuddle in each other’s arms in the middle of the living room. Mini had the new realization that he might fancy his best friend after all to deal with, but as far as he was concerned, he could figure all that out another day. For now, all he wanted to do was enjoy Tyler’s company.

“You really should take a shower though. You fucking stink.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Mini laughed, glad that things were finally going back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!
> 
> First things first, I'm EXTREMELY sorry for the super long wait for this update, but between exams, and getting sick, and this chapter turning out to be a lot longer than expected, the update just kept getting delayed :( <3 But school is over now so hopefully I can get back into a regular update schedule again maybe, starting with his extra long chapter that I hope was worth waiting for, and if not, then I'm terribly sorry <3
> 
> Secondly, in the middle of my hiatus, we hit 1k hits (though it's been so long that we've passed that by a lot now :o) <33 I never thought that many people would want to read this, so tyvm <33
> 
> AND ALSO LOOK! A super awesome lovely person on tumblr drew fanart!! <333 So go send them love and stuff, yeah?
> 
> http://laz0rw0lf.tumblr.com/post/118920345285/okay-so-these-are-inspired-by-this-fic-i-cannot  
> http://laz0rw0lf.tumblr.com/post/119002345120/im-to-tired-to-clean-the-lines-at-the-moment
> 
> Lastly, sorry again for the wait and I'll try and be more prompt with the next chapter <3


	11. Preparations

They all took a few days following the kidnapping to recuperate, temporarily postponing any and all criminal activity until they heard back from the other gang about Evan’s proposal. They all felt that they needed a few days to take it easy after their particularly taxing week, and allowed themselves to relax and forget about their responsibilities just for a little while.

Mini spent his first full day back at home hanging around their apartment in his pajamas, pigging out on junk food and playing Call of Duty on the Xbox with Tyler, just like the good old days before they ever put on a mask. Brock and Brian dropped by in the evening and joined in on their gaming session, and Evan showed up later again with several boxes of pizza and a grin. They passed the controller back and forth, trading stories and making jokes at each other’s expense, laughing loudly and genuinely having a good night for what felt like the first time in weeks.

Mini’s chest felt light and there was a permanent smile on his face, and he was so glad to be back with his friends again, his family, and hoped that nothing would ever whisk him away from them ever again. This was where he belonged, and he’d be damned if he let anyone take that away from him. 

And when the night was over and everyone had gone home and Brock had fallen asleep in the next room, Mini crawled into bed with Tyler and let him wrap an arm around him, easily falling into a deep peaceful sleep. It was Tyler who suggested they share a bed together again, as he admitted that in Mini’s absence, his nightmares had come back and were far worse than before, and sharing a bed with him was what scared them away the first time. Mini was in the same situation, and that coupled with his new found realization that he  _might_ fancy him after all made the offer very hard to say ‘no’ to.

Mini found himself almost wishing Tyler  _hadn’t_  hugged him tightly the second they returned to their apartment because all it did was make him experience even  _more_  confusing feelings that he didn’t have before. Now that he was a little more open to the idea that he  _might_  be crushing on Tyler, he caught himself looking and watching him in an entirely new light.

Everything Tyler did, no matter how noteworthy or mundane his actions were, would cause Mini’s heart to flutter. He had always found him attractive, but now it seemed like every little thing he did made him look even cuter than before. 

The way his back and muscles moved beneath his shirt when he stretched had caused him to stare on more than one occasion, and his eyes would trail after Tyler when he moved, fixated on the way his hips swayed when he walked away from him, and the cute butt that would present itself to him. The few times that Tyler had caught him admiring him, he’d raise an eyebrow questioningly at him and smirk ever so slightly, and Mini would have to swallow hard and bite his lip to not let his cocky attitude get to him, all while throwing the most believable excuses he could come up with at him so that Tyler wouldn’t find out that he was actually checking him out.

The more time he spent with him, the harder it became to ignore the feelings he’d been so carefully locking up for weeks. It was getting harder and harder to deny that his feelings for him were anything but platonic, and Mini was just now starting to reach the point of admitting that he may have a crush on his best friend.

_But it was just a crush_ , he’d remind himself, and crushes don’t last. Crushes were fleeting, and all he had to do was wait it out and all his mushy feelings would go away. There was no reason for Mini to blurt out some sort of embarrassing love confession and potentially ruin one of his most cherished friendships just yet, not when he could still wake up one day and find that everything had gone back to normal, and that he once again viewed Tyler as his best friend and nothing more. He wasn’t about to lose his closest friend over a silly crush, and it was for the best that he never acted on his feelings and just waited until they all went away.

Mini could, however, allow himself to indulge in his new found crush just a little bit. He had been bottling up his emotions for so long now that it felt rather freeing to allow himself to smile when he started feeling butterflies, or when his skin began to tingle when Tyler’s hand would accidentally brush his. It was nice being able to ogle him while Tyler was distracted making pancakes, now that he no longer worried about what his incessant gawking meant. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders with this new discovery, and until the day came that his crush faded away into non existence, Mini could see no reason why he couldn’t enjoy it while it lasted.

It was during breakfast a few days after he returned home that Evan invited himself into their apartment, a small frown on his face, and announced that their brief holiday from crime was now over. Sark had sent him a message via his goons to let him know that the gang that kidnapped Mini wanted to meet up with them and discuss the bank heist further, and Evan wanted them all to prepare themselves, just in case everything went wrong.

And so Mini found himself standing outside an Ammunation with Tyler on his left standing a little closer than necessary, and Evan in front of them, staring up at the sign as if he were psyching himself up before they go inside. He didn’t seem nervous, but then again, Mini wasn’t sure what a nervous Evan looked like. Truth be told, he had known him the longest out of all of his friends, and he couldn’t recall a single instance where he looked genuinely worried about something. Evan was always the definition of calm and collected, so the fact that he seemed hesitant to enter unnerved him.

“Okay. Let me do all the talking again, just like last time, alright?” Evan asked, spinning around to face them, pulling his sunglasses down off the top of his head so they were shielding his eyes from the sunlight. He waited for them to nod in understanding, before he turned around and finally pushed open the door.

As they followed him inside, Mini leaned in to Tyler and muttered to him quietly so that no one else would hear. “Is this another crooked salesman?” he asked, knowing Tyler had gone here with the others while he was kidnapped, and not looking forward to the idea of dealing with another Sark.

“Yeah. You’ll see,” Tyler scoffed, and Mini frowned, not at all liking his response. What was that supposed to mean?

The interior of this Ammunation was almost identical to the interior of the Ammunation Sark had owned before it was burned down. The walls and shelves were lined with guns, weapons, and body armor, and were safely kept behind the counter that curved around the entirety of the room. There were two doors in the back left corner, one likely leading to the store room while the other lead to the shooting range down in the basement.

The clerk was sat behind the counter in the back right flicking through a magazine, and Mini could just about see his buzzed cut head peaking up over the cash register. He beamed brightly at them when he noticed he had customers and stood up, abandoning his magazine on the wooden chair he was sitting on. “Vanoss! Wildcat! Hey!” he greeted in a cheery tone, folding his arms across his grey shirt and leaning on the counter in front of him. “I’m glad to see you’re not dead yet.”

“It’s not very often somebody says that to me,” Vanoss joked dryly, earning himself a laugh from the clerk that seemed oddly familiar, and Mini was sure he has heard that giggle somewhere before but he couldn’t remember where.

“You’re telling me,” he smirked, chuckling lightly again. “So did you rescue your buddy yet? Or are you here because you didn’t and you need more firepower~?” he asked with wide eyes and a manic grin that honestly scared him a little.

“No, that isn’t necessary, at least not right now,” Evan told him, and the clerk seemed to be satisfied with the implication that they’d be back for bigger guns later. “We already got him back, and he’s right here actually. Nanners, this is Mini, Mini this is Nanners. He’s a friend of Sark’s, you might remember him,” he introduced them, gesturing to each of them in turn as he spoke.

It wasn’t until then that it clicked as to where he’d heard his voice before. Nanners was one of the goons Sark had brought with him when he broke into their apartment way back when. Mini hardly recognised him without his cat mask and his gun being pointed in his direction, but now that he thought about it, the giggles he’d heard back then were identical to the ones he heard but a moment ago. It was obvious now, and he was internally kicking himself for not connecting the dots sooner.

“Nice to meet you again, Mini,” Nanners greeted, offering him his hand which Mini shook out of politeness. “Sorry for, you know, _threatening you_  and everything way back when, but you gotta do what you gotta do. No hard feelings?”

“No, it’s fine. It happens,” Mini replied, though he hadn’t quite forgiven him yet. Breaking into someone’s home and pointing a gun at them isn’t something that’s that easy to forgive and forget. 

Nanners gave him a curt nod, before turning back to Evan again. “So what can I do for you guys then? Assuming you’re not here for a little chitchat, of course.”

“I’m afraid not. We’re here on business. Mini currently only has a pistol and he needs an upgrade,” Evan explained, clapping him on the shoulder. Mini still didn’t understand why he needed a bigger gun and couldn’t just use a pistol for the time being as the big bank heist was still at least two months away, but Evan and Tyler insisted and he wasn’t going to argue with them. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little more protection, he supposed.

“Ooooh~! I can do that for you!” Nanners exclaimed with a grin and moved away from the counter. “Let’s get you set up downstairs, and we’ll find something you like!” he added, grabbing a set of keys off a hook on the wall and unlocked the door that lead to the basement where the shooting range was located.

Evan waved for him to follow Nanners, and Mini stepped down the stairs after the store owener, Evan close behind him and Tyler trailing behind at the rear. The shooting range looked identical to the one Sark had in his Aummunation with guns of all kinds bolted and locked to the wall on the right to prevent them from being stolen, and individual booths overlooking various paper targets on the right. The room reeked of the familiar stench of gunpowder, and their voices had a slight echo to them when they spoke.

“I usually have a guy down here to keep an eye on things, but it’s his day off. I can trust you guys not to steal anything or kill each other while I talk to your boss man upstairs, right?” Nanners asked, holding his keys out towards Tyler, eyeing him skeptically.

“Of course,” Tyler reassured him, taking the keys from him at the same time Evan’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

“You want to speak to me?” he asked. “About what?”

“Uhh... maybe we should talk about that upstairs,” Nanners chuckled sheepishly, eyeing Mini and Tyler out of the corner of his eye. It seems that whatever he wanted to talk to Evan about was something that neither of them were supposed to know, and he made the mental note to maybe ask Evan about it later.

“Alright,” Evan reluctantly agreed, skeptical of what he wanted, and waved for Nanners to lead the way back upstairs, before glancing back at them. “I’ll talk to you guys later,” he added, and then quickly left the room, the door at the top of the stairs shutting with a click.

Tyler grinned at him as soon as they were alone, and the familiar warmth he always felt when he smiled at him washed over him, and Mini smiled back, a little love struck. “So which gun do you want? Because I can get you anything you want with these bad boys,”  Tyler asked him, dangling the keys in his hand as he waltzed over to the wall of weapons. “Fuck, I can probably get you Nanners’ car if you wanted it.”

Mini chuckled as he took in the wide array of guns that were locked to the walls, trying to choose one that he wanted to use. Each weapon looked bigger and more dangerous than the last, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to try any of them. His pistol was small and light, which made it much easier to convince himself that he wasn’t doing any real damage when he fired it, and the idea of shooting the much larger machine guns and semi-automatics at the police while they were out on heists made him feel uneasy.

“Uhh... just pick one for me,” Mini said with a frown, unable to decide for himself.

“You don’t want to choose for yourself?” Tyler asked surprised.

“Nah, it’s all the same to me. You pick one.”

Tyler eyed him with concern for a moment, but then nodded, turning to the wall and quickly choosing a gun. He tried four different keys before he found one that unlocked the padlock fixing it to the wall, cursing under his breath every time a key didn’t work. Once the lock fell away, he removed the weapon from its hooks with less care than Mini would have liked, and turned to face him again, expertly brandishing the gun as if he’d been using it his whole life.

“This is an AK-47. It’s the same one Brock and Brian use and they both like it, so give that one a go first,” he told him, handing him the weapon, taking extra care to make sure Mini had a good grip on it before letting go. “And if you don’t want that one, then we’ll try one of the shotguns which is my personal favourite,” he added, grinning at him again as he took a step back and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Mini nodded, adjusting the gun in his hands as he tried to figure out how it was supposed to be held. The first thing he noticed was that it was much heavier than the pistol he was used to carrying, and threw the attached strap over his shoulder to help him balance the weight. The weapon was ice cold to the touch, much like the other guns he’s held, and he was filled with a sense of dread as he imagined himself using it whilst robbing a store.

“No, not like that. You’ll shoot yourself in the fucking foot if you hold it like that. Here, let me show you,” Tyler offered, stepping towards him and taking the gun from him with one hand, and lightly gripping his hand with the other. 

Mini could feel his cheeks heat up as Tyler ever so gently held his fingers and wrapped them around the pistol grip, his palms feeling much sweatier and clammier than they were a moment ago. He then took his other hand and placed it on the lower hand guard, and Mini gulped. This wasn’t the first time Tyler had touched or even held his hand, but he had never reacted quite like this before, and if his little crush wasn’t obvious to him before, then it was certainly obvious to him now.

“And then the butt rests against your shoulder when you fire it,” Tyler explained with a curt nod. “Speaking of, you should go over there and actually fucking fire it. We didn’t come the whole way here just so you can stand around holding guns all day, so come on.” 

Tyler waved for him to follow him and Mini did as he was told, and trailed after him into a cubicle. He let go of the gun and allowed it hang from the strap so he could take the safety equipment that was handed him, and put on the headphones and goggles as Tyler leaned into the next cubicle over to get safety equipment for himself. As he put those on, Mini picked up the gun again, and held it the way Tyler showed him to, and aimed down the sights at the paper target in front of him.

The dark silhouette of a genderless figure was printed on a white sheet and stapled to a wooden board, which hung from a track on the ceiling a couple of hundred feet in front of him. Countless bullet holes had already pierced it from the person who had occupied the cubicle before him, but Mini didn’t really mind that Nanners’ employee hadn’t yet replaced his target with a fresh one. While he was somewhat concerned with his aim, he didn’t care where he hit the target as long as he was able to hit it.

The last time he was in a shooting range, Mini had trouble dissociating the paper target with an actual human with a life and a family. He felt that he couldn’t pull the trigger because it meant that he was killing someone, meant that he was ripping a person away from the people that loved them, and he couldn’t in good conscience do that. It wasn’t until Tyler had given him a pep talk that he was finally able to shoot, and do the one thing he’d been dreading.

But this time, Mini didn’t have that problem. He still hasn’t killed someone, and was still dreading the day he had to. It was inevitable, and he wasn’t looking forward to it, but one day he was going to have to kill someone to protect his friends and there was no way around it. If it were between a stranger’s life or one of theirs, then he’d let the stranger die every single time. 

Mini took a slow, deep breath to calm himself, before firing the weapon. He only shot a few bullets at first as the recoil surprised him and he had to let go of the trigger to recollect himself. Tyler chuckled at him and Mini shot him an embarrassed glare, before taking aim once again and emptying the rest of the clip. The AK was much more powerful than his pistol, and Mini felt much more powerful firing it. He felt like he could do some real damage with that gun, and as much as the thought had scared him, he shoved it to the back of his mind and continued until there was nothing left to shoot.

Once he had run out of bullets, he lowered the gun and examined it, trying to figure out how to reload. “How do I reload this thing?” he asked, then looked up at Tyler, surprised to see that he was watching him with a sad smile. “Uh... are you okay?” he asked, waving a hand in front of Tyler’s face when he realised that he was lost in thought and wasn’t really paying attention to him.

Tyler snapped out of whatever daze he was in, blinked at him for a moment, before chuckling and shaking his head, smiling sadly at the floor. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he told him, but Mini remained unconvinced. “It’s just...” he sighed, and looked back up at him again. “You’ve changed.”

_That_  caught Mini off guard, and he was unsure as to whether or not he should take offense to that. “What?!”

“ _Not in a bad way!_ ” Tyler said quickly when he realised he might have insulted him. “I mean... a few weeks ago you would have never fired that gun, and today you did it without being prompted. I don’t like-...” he cut himself off, and Mini raised his eyebrows curiously.

“You don’t like...?” he repeated, encouraging him to finish his thought, concerned as to where he was going with this.

Tyler sighed in defeat, knowing there was no point in arguing with him. “All of this crime stuff; it’s changed you and I don’t like it,” he admitted, avoiding eye contact by staring down at the bullet ridden target in front of them. “This is exactly why I didn’t want you getting involved in my and Evan’s bullshit way back when. All of these robberies and now the bank heist... it’s all so fucking dangerous and illegal, and it’s changing you, and I don’t like it.”

“Tyler...” Mini said softly with a frown, setting the gun to the side so he could lay a hand on Tyler’s arm reassuringly. He seemed genuinely upset and annoyed about this, and Mini felt conflicted. On one hand, he was flattered that Tyler cared this deeply about him, but on the other, he hated how much he seemed to be hurting and that he was hurting because of  _him_.

“I just... I never wanted you to get involved in all of this,” he said so quietly he was almost whispering. “I never wanted you to get hurt, and I certainly never wanted to see you learning how to fire a fucking  _AK-47_  so you can protect yourself,” he sighed heavily. “Mini...  _Craig_... you were never supposed to get wrapped up in all of this, and neither was Brock. Evan and I were supposed to rob a few stores and that was it, but no, shit had to escalate and the next thing we know, we owe a couple of hundred thousand dollars to some asshole, you were kidnapped, and Brock  _got fucking shot_.” He took a shaky breath. “All of that bullshit happened, and all of that bullshit is continuing to happen, and it’s causing you to become someone you never should have had to become, just so you can protect yourself and get out of this mess we-  _I_  pulled you into, and I fucking hate it,” he said with heartfelt honestly, absentmindedly stroking Mini’s arms, gaze fixed on the floor between them. “I fucking hate it.”

There was a heavy silence between them as Tyler finished what he had to say and Mini didn’t know how to respond. It felt like there was a weight pressing down on them, and he had a heavy feeling in his stomach after Tyler had poured his heart out to him, and shared such deeply personal and honest thoughts with him. He wanted to reassure him, but he didn’t know how, and until he found the words, Mini settled for returning the gentle caresses he was being given.

“Tyler... I don’t like it either...” Mini said finally, but he doubted his words were in any way reassuring. “But I’m still the same ‘Craig’ I always was. I just... fire guns now.”

“Yeah, _at_  people, and it’s only a matter of time before you’re forced to kill someone,” Tyler muttered, voicing the very worries that were bothering him too, and hearing that Tyler was worried about the same things only made him feel  _worse_. 

“Maybe I won’t have to...” Mini said softly, and Tyler laughed, as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d heard, and his heart sank.

“Maybe... But I do fucking hope that you won’t ever have to. I don’t want you becoming a killer, Craig,” he admitted, lightly running his hand down the length of Mini’s arm.

“You’ve killed people, but you don’t consider yourself to be a killer,” Mini noted, but was only met with silence. “...Tyler?” he voiced when he didn’t receive a response, and looked back up him, heart dropping at his troubled expression and the vacant look in his eyes. “ _Tyler..._?” he repeated, adding more emphasis to his name, but before he could ask him anything else and inquire further as to what he was thinking about, he heard the door to the basement open.

At the sudden sound of the door creaking open, immediately followed by footsteps and Nanners’ laughter, Mini and Tyler quickly jumped apart, almost as if they were worried that they were going to be caught doing something intimate that no one else was allowed to see. Mini wordlessly picked up the gun again, avoiding eye contact with Tyler for reasons that not even he understood, and turned into the room when Evan appeared outside their cubicle, eyeing them both with confusion.

“...Did we interrupt something?” he asked, Nanners giggling again in the background, but Evan ignored him in favour of looking pointedly at Tyler with an oddly hopeful expression.

“No, we were just talking,” Tyler replied, shaking his head, which seemed to cause Evan's shoulders to sink in disappointment.

“Ooooh~! An AK-47! That’s a nice choice,” Nanners chimed, bringing their focus back to the reason why they had come here in the first place, drawing all attention to the gun in Mini’s hands. “Do you want me to ring that up for you?”

Mini agreed and handed him the weapon, and Nanners took his keys back from Tyler and waved for them all to follow him back upstairs. As they made their way out of the shooting range, Mini glanced back over his shoulder at Tyler, who was lagging behind with Evan and half listening to his whispering, and frowned.

Did Tyler really believe he was a murderer? And if so, why was he only finding out about it now?

\----

Two days later, Mini found himself riding the elevator up to Evan’s apartment with Tyler and one of Evan’s neighbours who lived on the same floor as him, which was a shame, as Mini would have loved to have been able to freely talk to Tyler about what they were about to do.

They were supposed to meet with the other gang today, and for reasons beyond his comprehension, Evan thought it was a great idea to invite them around to their base to talk about the bank heist, which just so happened to be the apartment that Evan lived in. Evan argued that if they were all going to work together on this job, then they’d need to build up trust and claimed that telling them where their base was would be a great way of showing them that they trusted them (even though they didn’t) and were part of the team (even though they weren’t). 

Maybe Mini was just paranoid, but he thought that telling them where Evan lived was a terrible idea and could only bite them in the ass later, especially if it turned out that he was wrong about them, and they were ruthless killers after all. But Evan waved off his concerns and told him that everything would be fine, there was no reason to fret, and that Sark promised him they were trustworthy and had nothing to worry about. Mini had known Evan long enough now to know that he would say all those things no matter how awful a situation was, and wasn’t all that reassured by his words, but didn’t argue any further with him. Evan had made up his mind, and no amount of logic would change it.

The elevator dinged once they had reached their floor, and Evan’s neighbour immediately stepped out and hurried off to his apartment, leaving Mini and Tyler alone at last. “Nervous?” Tyler asked him as they exited the lift and walked down the short hallway to Evan’s door.

“Kind of...?” he answered truthfully as they came to a halt outside the base, watching as Tyler pulled out the spare key Evan had given him and began to unlock the door. “I mean, wouldn’t you be if you were suddenly forced to work with the people that kidnapped you?”

Even though Mini still held the opinion that the other gang wasn’t all that bad, he still didn’t trust them completely and was nervous about meeting them again. They didn’t treat him badly aside from the cut on the cheek which was healing up nicely, and even then, Mini blamed Sark for that as he was the one who convinced them to do it in the first place. Still, they did kidnap him and did try to make enemies of them after all, and one wrong move could upset the delicate truce they had, and he was worried that something would happen that would cause a fight. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt or make mortal enemies because he or one of the others slipped up.

“Well, don’t worry. I promised you that I’d keep an eye on you and I plan on keeping that promise. They’re not going to lay so much as a finger on you if I have anything to say about it,” Tyler told him, oddly serious, an edge to his voice, and Mini couldn’t help but smile at how protective he was being, a flutter in his chest.

Once the door was unlocked, Tyler pushed it open and Mini followed him inside only to immediately freeze in his tracks when he was met with a sight he didn’t expect to see.

Brian and Brock were lip-locked on Evan’s couch, Brian straddling Brock’s hips, one hand on his arm, the other entangled in his hair, while Brock lightly held his waist. Mini had only caught them for a split second, as the sound of Tyler shutting the door caused them to hastily break apart, the bang surprising them so much that Brian leaped off of Brock’s lap and tumbled onto the floor with a loud thud.

“Jesus Christ,” Tyler groaned in annoyance as he stepped past a gobsmacked Mini and sauntered further into the apartment, watching as a red faced Brock peered down at the embarrassed Brian on the floor. “Does Evan know what you two are doing in here?” 

It wasn’t until then that Mini realised that Evan wasn’t in the main room with them. His red jacked was draped over the back of the couch, but Evan himself was nowhere to be seen. “He’s in the shower,” Brock replied, then asked Brian if he was alright, only receiving a small groan in response.

Mini was still in shock, jaw wide open, and he couldn’t understand why Tyler simply rolled his eyes at them as if he’d walked in on them a thousand times before. “Am I the only one who’s surprised by this?!” he asked him, gesturing to the pair by the couch, and the smirk Tyler shot him as he disappeared into the heist room to leave the apparent couple to explain was the only answer he needed.

“We uh...” Brock began, chuckling nervously. “We’ve kind of been dating for a week now... We got together when you were... ‘gone’, and you’re the only one who didn’t know...”

“ _What_?!” Mini exclaimed, finally leaving the entranceway to stomp over to them. “Why?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“We thought it would be funny to see how long it would take you to figure it out,” Brock explained with a shrug, smiling sheepishly at him as Mini raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

“Yeah, and could you not have waited a week to walk in on us?” Brian asked, finally picking himself up off the floor and stretching out his back. “Now I owe Brock ten bucks.”

“ _You bet on me_?!”

“It was only ten bucks,” Brian shrugged, trying and failing to suppress a smirk.

“And a kiss!” Brock piped up, earning himself a light chuckle from Brian.

“And a kiss,” Brian repeated and began to lean in towards a grinning Brock, but Mini was having none of it and forced himself between them.

“No! Assholes who bet on their friends aren’t allowed to do that!” he said, lightly placing a hand on Brian’s chest and pushed him away. He was only messing with them now, as any anger he could have felt had melted away and was replaced with happiness for his two friends. He knew how much Brock liked Brian, and it was obvious that Brian liked him too, and he was so glad to see they had finally gotten together after weeks of playful flirting. 

It felt like only bad things were happening to them all lately, and it was nice to see something good happen for a change.

“But I bet that you’d find out within two weeks because I had faith in you!” Brock claimed with faux innocence, but Mini just rolled his eyes at him, and then his gaze drifted to Brock’s arm and he was reminded of one of the things he needed to do today.

“Sure you did. Now get your ass into the kitchen so I can take those stitches out,” Mini told him, and turned around to do just that, but had only made it halfway when he realised that Brock wasn’t following him.

Mini glanced behind him to see what was keeping him, only to see that Brian had stopped Brock to steal the kiss that Mini had robbed him of a moment ago. The sudden kiss obviously caught Brock off guard as he was gripping Brian’s biceps in surprise, while Brian had one hand on his hip and the other cupping his cheek. Once satisfied, he pulled away and they stared at each other for a moment with the same dumb smile and smitten look in their eyes that it made even Mini’s heart melt.

And then Brian had the gall to ruin the moment by flipping him off with a smug grin. “Suck it, Mini!”

“Nah, I’ll leave the sucking to you, thanks,” he joked with an affectionate eye roll, and turned back to head into the kitchen again. “Come on, Brock.”

As Brock giggled to himself at Mini’s comment and took a seat at the dining table in the middle of the large open room, Mini slipped into the kitchen area and started rifling through the cupboards for the first aid kit. Once he had found it, he opened it up to make sure his needed tools were inside, before zipping it shut again and making his way back to Brock, passing Brian on the way who was heading towards the fridge behind him. 

“So what do you think is going to happen at this meeting today then?” Brian asked as he retrieved a can of coke from the fridge, immediately cracking it open and taking a sip as Mini sat down next to Brock. 

“I don’t know,” Mini responded truthfully with a frown, as he pulled a pair of tweezers and a pair of scissors out of the first aid kit and started to undo the first knot in the stitches on Brock’s bullet wound. “I honestly don’t know. Evan and Tyler still don’t have this bank heist planned out properly as far as I know, so fuck knows how they’re going to react when they find out we don’t have much of a plan.”

“...Do you think they'll try something?” Brock asked worriedly.

“No. No. Definitely not,” Mini assured him, shaking his head as he pulled the thread out from the first stitch and began to work on the second one. “They’re terrified of Evan for some reason. They’re not going to try anything as long as he’s around.”

“Wait, what?” Brian asked surprised, an amused grin tugging at his lips. “You fucking serious? They’re scared of  _Evan_? How? Why?”

Mini shook his head fondly at his amusement, but couldn’t help but smile along with him. It was difficult for them to imagine anyone being afraid of Evan, considering the Evan they knew was one who made terrible jokes, teased them, and occasionally mothered them if the situation needed him to. They very rarely saw the terrifying, intimidating Evan that everyone else saw when he put on the mask.

“Yeah, I think there’s some exaggerated rumours floating around about him, and they believe them for some reason,” Mini explained, remembering how Delirious and Lui were speculating about their leader to him when he was still tied up in their basement.

“What kind of rumours?” Brock asked curiously.

“Just some shit about him being a ruthless killer or something,” Mini shrugged, struggling to remember exactly what the rumours were.

“Yeah, right. I can’t believe they’re fucking scared of Evan,” Brian thought aloud, taking another gulp of his coke, leaning against the counter behind him.

Brock smirked at him. “I distinctly remember  _you_  being scared of Evan when you first met him,” he teased, laughing loudly when Brian almost choked on his soda at the reminder.

“That’s because he wanted you to kill me!” he exclaimed in his defense, taking another sip of his drink to calm his coughing fit.

“Yeah, what a shame that would’ve been,” Tyler drawled sarcastically as he reentered the room, chuckling to himself as Brian flipped him off in response. He had changed out of the clothes he was wearing and was now dressed in his ridiculous heist outfit, pig mask pulled over his face and topped with the white helmet. He was carrying a laptop and a bundle of cables towards the TV in the living room which no doubt held another PowerPoint presentation, and there was a familiar vulture mask tucked under his arm that Mini had grown to hate.

“I am not wearing that thing,” he said defiantly as he tugged out the last of Brock’s stitches. Once finished, he took the tweezers, scissors, and a cotton ball to the sink. He half filled it with water and dropped the tools into it to wash and sterilize them properly later, before dipping the cotton ball in and heading back to Brock so he could finish cleaning his wound.

“Yes, you fucking are,” Tyler insisted as he laid the laptop down on the coffee table and began plugging in various cords and wires.

“Why? They’ve already seen my face!” Mini pointed out and began to lightly dab at Brock’s now closed wound, careful not to hurt him.

“It’s called ‘being  _fucking professional’_ ,” Tyler explained and tossed him the mask whether Mini wanted him to or not, the apparel landing on the table with a smack. “Now go put your heist shit on before I fucking force you into it.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Mini grumbled, grabbing his mask as his cheeks flushed bright red at the thought of Tyler undressing him. He passed the cotton ball to Brian and allowed him to finish taking care of Brock, ignoring the way the latter was smirking at him when he noticed his blush. He did intend to talk to Brock about his new found crush at some point, especially now that he knew Brock had acted on his own crush and was successful, but now wasn’t the time.

Mini took the mask into the heist room where the rest of his getup was located, and shut the door behind him, closing out the sounds of his friends’ voices. This room was much more quiet than the busier main room, the only sounds being the muffled voices breaking through the door, and the low hum of the computer that was left running. His suit was the only outfit left hanging from the shelves, as Brian, Brock, and Tyler were already dressed in their clothes, the twin bald eagle masks abandoned somewhere in the living room, and Evan must have taken his with him when he went into the shower.

As he began to change from his casual wear into the tuxedo and flipflops he had picked out, Mini’s thoughts drifted to the meeting. He was going to be meeting up with the other gang for the first time since they had kidnapped him, and with every second he waited for them to arrive, he grew more nervous. 

He had only spent a few days with them, which wasn’t long enough for him to give a proper estimation on how they were going to treat them once they got here, and what their true feelings were as regards to the bank heist. He was concerned that something wouldn’t be up to their standards, or that he or one of the others would say something that would anger them or upset them, and cause them all to be pulled into some sort of gang war that resulted in them getting hurt - or worse. He didn’t want to lose someone over a silly comment or a joke made in poor taste. It wasn’t worth the risk.

Just as he had finished knotting his tie and was slipping into his suit jacket, the doorbell rang, signalling that they were finally here. His heart beat picked up and he took a deep breath to calm his nerves, before flinging the heist door open and leaving to go let them in, accidentally leaving his mask behind. 

“ _Here goes nothing_ ,” he muttered to himself, desperately hoping that nothing would go wrong. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I had to end it there as this chapter would have ended up WAY too long, and the next one way too short, so I had to stop it here so they'd be a bit more balanced. But hey, since we got a lot of the exposition out of the way this time, we can jump right into the action next time :)
> 
> And also this time: Mini FINALLY realised that he has a crush on Tyler, and Brian and Brock got together :) And I'm excited because it means I can finally write some cute shipping moments, so look forward to that in future chapters <3
> 
> Speaking of shipping, you may or may not have noticed that I removed the vanoss/delirious pairing tag from the list of pairings at the top. That's because I'm not sure whether or not I'll be including that pairing in this fic after all. I added that tag when I first posted the first chapter, but my plans for the plot have changed a bit since then, and I'm not sure that pairing quite works with my plans anymore :/ If the story progresses in such a way that their relationship would make sense (at the moment, it doesn't make any sense at all tbh), then I'll add it again in the future, but for now I'm removing it, and I'm terribly sorry if anyone is disappointed <3
> 
> And look! The ever lovely hexaquarion drew some fanart so go send them love for being amazing <33
> 
> http://hexaquarion.tumblr.com/post/119946610518/i-tried-making-fan-art-for-brocksnuckels-story
> 
> You're all far to nice to me with all this fanart and nice comments, and I want you all to know that I appreciate all the love you've been sending my way, and for being patient with all these long breaks between chapters. You're all great and ilu <33


	12. First Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note before we begin: they are no longer robbing the Maze Bank, but are robbing the Pacific Standard Public Deposit Bank instead. I will explain why that is at the end. 
> 
> Sorry for any possible confusion, but I hope you enjoy regardless! <3

Mini left the heist room and headed for the front door, taking it upon himself to answer it. He was vaguely aware of Brian and Brock tugging their masks on in the living room, and could just about hear Evan yelling through his shut bedroom door for them to stall while he finished getting ready, but Mini wasn’t concerned with his friends at that particular moment. His main focus was on the group of people waiting to be let in.

It had been a little over a week since Mini had last seen the gang that kidnapped him, and he was nervous to see them again, to say the least. He had been doing a good job of keeping himself calm up until this point, but now that they had arrived and were on the other side of their base’s front door, his heart rate had began to pick up and his palms began to sweat. 

There was so much that could wrong with this meeting, and so much to lose if things went sour, and Mini desperately hoped that everything was going to be okay.

Mini gripped the door handle but paused to take a deep breath to calm himself, before opening the door for the visitors.

Even though Mini knew exactly who was on the other side of the door, it was still jarring to swing it open and see five armed men in various masks waiting to be let in. Basically stood in the middle with his arms crossed over his chest, pistol noticeably hanging from his belt. Delirious stood on his right with his hands shoved into his hoodie’s pockets, shoulders hunched, and Lui was on his right, sniper rifle strapped to his back though Mini wasn’t sure what he thought he needed it for. Scotty stood behind them, looking at him between Basically and Lui’s heads, while Nogla used his height to his advantage and easily peered down at him over the top of his friends.

“Hello, Mini. And... friend,” Nogla greeted, his and the others’ gazes drifting from his face up to something above his head.

Mini turned around to see what they were looking at, and was surprised to find that Tyler was standing closely behind him, not realising that he had abandoned hooking the laptop up to the TV in favour of following him to the door until then. He stood with his arms crossed, shoulders squared, and in such a way that the pistol in his holster at his waist was clearly visible, staring down at them menacingly, acting as though he were Mini’s bodyguard. This confused him, because even though he was flattered by and appreciated Tyler’s concern for his safety, he hoped that Tyler would have at least trusted him to answer the door on his own. 

“Uh, yeah. This is Wildcat,” Mini introduced him, and Tyler nodded solemnly when gestured to. Mini then stepped to the side and held the door open wider, waving for them enter. “Uh come in.”

Delirious ducked in as soon as he was invited to, taking the lead as the others quickly followed in after him. Mini shut the door and watched as they hesitantly wandered into the main room towards were Brock and Brian were sitting at the dining table, curiously looking around them as they took in their surroundings.

While they were distracted, Mini took this time to whisper quietly to Tyler who was still by his side. “Why did you come over here?” he asked bluntly. “You finished setting up the presentation already?”

“Well, no, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Tyler replied, adopting a soft voice that Mini wasn’t expecting and he had to look away so that Tyler wouldn’t notice his cheeks heating up, and he suddenly wished that he hadn’t forgot to put his mask on like he was supposed to. 

“I can answer the door on my own y’know,” he muttered. He appreciated that Tyler cared about him enough to want to ditch his responsibilities to keep an eye on him and the mere thought sent a flutter through his chest, but Mini was also capable of looking after himself and he hoped Tyler knew that. 

Before Tyler could respond, Lui spoke up, interrupting their hushed conversation. “So this is your base, huh?” he commented, eyeing the shelves stacked high with various books and knickknacks that were there when Evan bought the place. “It’s nice.”

“Uh thanks! We’ve been here for... a while now,” Mini told him, realising halfway through his sentence that he probably shouldn’t let them know that they’ve only been masked criminals for a month, instead giving him a much more vague answer. He cursed himself internally for sounding so awkward, something the others also noticed.

“ _Smooth_ ,” Tyler scoffed quietly to him, and Mini shot him an indignant look, cheeks heating up in embarrassment at Tyler’s teasing. 

“Just shut the fuck up and finish setting up your presentation,” he huffed, before stepping into the main room after their guests, choosing to ignore Tyler’s chuckling as he made his way back to the laptop and the TV.

The gang milled around in the middle of the room, seemingly not knowing what to do with themselves, and honestly Mini wasn’t sure what to do with them either. Does he offer them drinks? Snacks? What exactly do people do at these sort of meetings anyway? In the movies, the overconfident mob boss would suavely offer some sort of whiskey or bourbon, but he was neither the boss nor suave if his previous interaction was anything to go by, and he didn’t know how much alcohol Evan had stocked in his kitchen. He was at a complete loss as to what to do.

“Is your leader not here?” Basically asked him, looking around the room to double check that he hadn’t missed him when he first came in.

“He’ll be along in a minute,” Mini said quickly, panicking slightly as he struggled to think of a way to stall them, and he found himself desperately wishing one of the others would say or do something rather than leaving it all up to him.

As if reading his mind or perhaps he just took pity on him, Brian stood up from the dining table and clapped his hands together. “Do any of you lads want a drink?” he offered, dragging the attention to him and off Mini, and he felt himself relax ever so slightly.

Nogla chuckled. “Drinks? You lot are already a lot more hospitable towards us than we were to you, Mini,” he joked in attempt to lighten the mood a little and alleviate some of the awkwardness in the air, and Mini cracked a smile in spite of himself. He always liked Nogla.

“To be fair, you’re here willingly,” he joked back and managed to get a few laughs out of the gang, but his comment fell flat among his own friends. Brian and Brock shot each other a look, while Tyler had visibly tensed up at the first mention of the kidnapping, and Mini made the mental note not to bring it up again. “You can take a seat, if you want,” he offered, waving towards the living room where Tyler was setting up in the front.

Being the closest, Nogla lead the way and took a seat on the far side of the couch, and Lui plopped down beside him. Delirious sat on the other end next to him, only to press up closer to Lui when Scotty harshly whispered for him to move over so he could sit on the couch too. Marcel shook his head at their antics as he sat down on the arm chair, and Mini swiftly moved over to where Brock and Brian were still located by the dining table.

“What the fuck is taking Evan so long?!” he whispered through gritted teeth, staring into the living room and watching as they all sat in uncomfortable silence, idly watching as Tyler fidgeted with wires and tapped at the laptop.

“I don’t know, let’s just keep stalling,” Brian whispered back before turning to the group once again. “So is that a ‘no’ on drinks then?”

As he spoke to the group, the door to the bedroom opened and Evan finally made an appearance. The room was quiet before, but now it was dead silent as he made his way out of the bedroom, gaining the undivided attention from everyone in the vicinity. He was only in a t-shirt as his jacket was slung over the back of his couch behind Scotty, his burned arm exposed, reminding them all of the incident at the gas station. 

The gang noticeably tensed up at his presence, their mouths clamping shut and were reluctant to speak, as if they were afraid they’d be punished for speaking out of turn. They all watched him carefully as they approached them, and Scotty all but leaped forward as Evan tugged his jacket away from behind him. “Holy shit you were right,” Brian whispered quietly to him, a slight grin in his voice. “They are scared of him!”

Mini didn’t dignify that with a response, and watched along with everyone else as Evan shrugged on his jacket and zipped it up to his chest. Evan looked at everyone in turn until his gaze finally focused on him. “Why aren’t you wearing your mask?” he asked, and Mini could spot Tyler shooting him an ‘I told you so’ look from behind him.

“I uh... I left it in the heist room...” he admitted, the atmosphere of the room getting to him and he found himself feeling surprisingly nervous, even though he knew he had no reason to.

“Well, go put it on,” he ordered sharply, nodding towards the room in question, and Mini guessed that was his way of asserting himself as their leader in front of the others, as he would have never spoken to him like that otherwise. Mini nodded in understanding before turning on his heel and going off to do what he was told, leaving Evan to introduce himself and the rest of their friends to the gang and vice versa.

Mini was almost relieved when he entered the quiet heist room as he had temporarily escaped the situation in the living room. He knew the meeting of their two groups was going to be awkward given everything that had happened and their strained relationship, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant to deal with. Knowing that he couldn’t stay away for long, he retrieved his mask and reluctantly tugged it on, already feeling stuffy inside it, and after taking a slow deep breath, returned to the living room.

The PowerPoint was now on the TV screen, displaying the title slide with its terrible word art and clip art of bags of money, and Tyler was waiting behind the laptop to begin. Evan was now standing next to him and waved for Mini to hurry up, and Mini quickened his pace a little and quickly came to a stop next to Brian once again. 

“Now that everyone’s here and have been introduced to each other, there’s no point in delaying this any longer. Wildcat?” Evan asked, waving for him to begin and stepping aside to allow him to take the reigns. 

Tyler cleared his throat before beginning his presentation. “Right. So, as you all know, the whole reason we’re all meeting up today is to run through this bank heist we’ve been planning to see if this is something you’ll be interested in helping us out in. Though why wouldn’t you, the profit is fucking  _sweet_ , but we’ll get to that. First things first, we’ll run through the actual plan.”

He clicked over to the next slide which displayed an image of the outside of the Pacific Standard Public Deposit Bank, with ‘Step One’ printed above it. “Step one is getting  _inside_  the building. Considering the outside is littered with security cameras that’ll catch our faces if we attempt to sneak in, we might as well go in guns blazing, masks on. Though that does mean that the police are probably going to get called in right off the bat, so step two is locking the door so nobody gets in or out without us knowing about it,” he explained, and the clicked the next slide which had a stock image of a padlock on it. “We uh... don’t know exactly how we’re going to do that yet, but we’ll figure it out.”

Tyler clicked onto the slide that illustrated step three with a photograph of the inside of the bank. “Now, here’s where shit gets tricky. At least two, maybe three of us, are going to have to stay in the main room with the hostages to make sure nobody tries anything funny. The rest of us needs to get our asses to the vault asap. Our main problems here is getting  _through_  the steel gate that bars the way to the vault and there could be multiple of those, we don’t know yet, and then finding a way IN to the vault itself. Gotta be honest: we have no fucking clue how we’re going to do that either.”

“We’re thinking that maybe if we can get our hands on a set of blueprints, then we’ll have a better idea as to what we’re going to do once we get inside,” Evan piped up, and Tyler nodded.

“Exactly. Blueprints would also be good so we could have a good map of all our escape routes and points of entry and shit so we can get the fuck out if everything goes tits up, and to ensure the police don’t get the jump on us. We’re  _hoping_  these will also tell us how the vault is locked so we can figure out what we’re going to need to do to break into it, but we’re not counting on it.”

The slide for step three was the exact same as the slide for step one, and Mini had to wonder just how much effort Tyler actually put into making the PowerPoint, and as to whether or not it was necessary to make one to begin with. “Once we’ve all stuffed as much money as we can carry into our bags, we need to get the fuck out of there. Again, we don’t want to make any concrete plans until we get a look at the blueprints, but assuming there’s no better way out and we  _have_  to go out the main entrance, then we’re going to need someone on the outside to clear the cops out of the way. We uh... discovered the hard way that large explosions work best,” he told them, side eyeing Brian who was a little too proud of what he did all those weeks ago.

“This’ll hopefully get all the cops out of the way and create enough of a diversion that we can run to the getaway vehicles that we’ll have hidden nearby without getting shot at, and make our escape. Now, at this point, it would probably be best if we split up so it’s easier to ditch the cops, which will be difficult because we’ll probably have choppers on us too.”

He clicked onto the next slide which had a picture of some helicopters to illustrate his point. “Now this is a long shot, but I don’t suppose one of you have a pilot’s license, do you?” he asked, and the gang all turned to look at Lui.

“Uh... I do?” he said, raising his hand meekly.

“Okay. Okay good. Then we’ll try and steal some sort of attack chopper somehow and you can be in charge of taking out the police helicopters so they don’t follow us.”

“Sweet,” Lui replied, surprisingly okay with that, and his nonchalance honestly scared Mini a little.

“Once the helicopters are gone, it shouldn’t be  _too_  difficult to shake of the rest of the cars, considering that’s something we’ve all done at least once before and probably will do a lot more of between now and then. After that, it’s just a matter of disposing of the getaway vehicles and meeting back up here to divide up the cash,” Tyler said with a grin in his voice as he clicked onto the next slide that was filled with nothing but dollar signs and clip art of money bags and wads of cash. 

“Speaking of, you’re probably wondering just how big this take is going to be. Well, I’m no mathematician, but I reckon we can fit about a half a mil in a gym bag at least. If we can get at least five us is in there, that’s 2.5 million, minus that half to pay back some debts we owe, and we’d have got ourselves two million. Divide that ten ways and we’re looking at two hundred thousand dollars each!”

The room erupted in excited gasps and cheers at the estimated figure, and some of the awkwardness in the air was lifted, the mutual enthusiasm almost bonding them together somewhat. Mini also felt his own jaw drop slightly at the number and excitement bubble in his chest. He didn’t realise that his cut was going to be that big. Two hundred thousand dollars was a  _lot_  of money, and he honestly had no idea what he was going to do with all of that.

“I told you it was pretty fucking sweet!” Tyler grinned behind his mask. 

“But before we can even  _think_  about putting the plan into action, we need to gather all of the equipment first,” Evan interjected with, and Tyler nodded.

“Right. The blueprints should be our number one priority, since without those, we have no fucking clue what we’re doing once we get inside,” he began, clicking onto the next slide with a stock image of an architect examining a set of blueprints. “Theoretically, we should be able to get those at the county office no problem, but if not, then we might just have to break in and steal them. Hopefully they’ll help us figure out how the vault is locked too so we can start figuring out how the fuck we’re supposed to break inside it.”

“After that, we should try and get our hands on a helicopter for... Lui?” Tyler continued, unsure of the name, and Lui nodded to confirm that he got it right as the slide transitioned onto one with yet another picture of a helicopter. “Preferably, we need one with guns and I doubt we’re going to find one at Los Santos International Airport. This means we’re either going to need to break into the military base which I REALLY don’t want to fucking do,  _or_  we need to find one elsewhere.”

“There’s an airfield up in Blaine county, don’t know if you’re aware of it. We might be able to pick up one there,” Lui suggested to their surprise. With how quiet they were all being, Mini wasn’t expecting the gang to contribute to Tyler’s presentation any.

“That... might work, actually,” Tyler said with pleasant surprise. “Glad to hear you do actually know shit about helicopters. I feel a little more confident that you’re not just going to crash into a building and fucking kill us all or something now,” he joked, and Lui laughed, and Mini felt hopeful that that they all might get along after all. 

“The last things we’ll need are explosives and weapons which we should be able to get from Nanners or any other Ammunation no problem, and some getaway vehicles,” Tyler said, clicking on to the penultimate slide which displayed images of the mentioned items. “Any car will do, but I’d prefer if we could get our hands on some bulletproof cars since we’re going to get shot at a fuckton, but we need to look into seeing if that’s possible first. Unless you have a secret knowledge of armored vehicles too?” he asked and looked pointedly at Lui, who merely giggled and shook his head.

“No, sorry dude. I only know helicopters.”

“S’alright. I got more information out of you that I expected anyways,” Tyler responded with a curt nod.

“But, before we could begin any of that,” Evan interjected and stepped away from the wall he was leaning against to stand in the front of the room next to Tyler. “I’d like it if we could rob some smaller stores and commit some smaller crimes all together first so we can get used to working together, and learn each others’ strengths and weaknesses. We’re going to need some solid teamwork and to be able to function as a cohesive unit when we rob the Pacific Standard, and we’re not going to be able to do that if we keep thinking of ourselves as two separate groups like we do now. That’s why I propose we divide ourselves up into two groups, one with four people and one with six, and hit up a couple of stores as soon as we’re done here and get to work on building up some sort of rapport with each other.”

As he spoke, Tyler clicked onto the final slide which showed a small table of their code names. The table had two columns, each one listing the proposed members of the groups for the small armed robberies they were to commit later on. The column on the left listed Mini and Evan followed by two question marks, while the column on the right listed Brian, Brock, and Tyler himself, followed by three question marks.

“We took the liberty of dividing ourselves up already. Myself and Mini will rob a smaller store with two of you, while Wildcat, Terroriser, and Moo will take on a bigger target with everyone else. I didn’t want to assign any of you to our chosen groups since I don’t know where you work best, so I’ll give you a minute to decide that among yourselves,” Evan said, and waved for Wildcat to follow him over to the dining table, leaving the others in the living room area to huddle together and whisper quietly.

“Well, that went well,” Evan remarked to them cheerfully, hands on his hips, but he had barely been standing next to Brock for a moment before Tyler had grabbed his arm and tugged him away to another part of the room.

Mini was confused. “What was that about?” he muttered, eyeing the pair suspiciously as they came to a halt a few feet away when Evan violently pulled his arm out of Tyler’s grip.

“I don’t know, but if you shut up and let it us listen we’d find out,” Brian replied, leaning forward a little as if it would help him eavesdrop.

“I don’t know how I feel about-”

“Ssshhhh Moo Moo,” Brian silenced him with a soft whisper, blindly reaching out to cover his mouth, but on account of his mask, only managed to palm his beak.

Like Brock, Mini also wasn’t sure that he approved of eavesdropping on them since Tyler obviously wanted to talk to him alone, but with everyone else in the room being quiet, and Tyler and Evan speaking a little louder than they perhaps intended to, Mini wasn’t given much of a choice, and he couldn’t help but overhear their conversation anyway.

“ _Wildcat_ ,  _for the last time_ , I am not switching up the teams,” Evan said, exasperated and obviously annoyed at what Tyler had asked him. 

“But-”

“ _No ‘buts’_. We’ve been through this a hundred times already, and my mind hasn’t changed since the last time we talked about this,” Evan told him firmly, and sternly crossed his arms, staring up at Tyler as he huffed. “Look,” he continued, lowering his voice ever so slightly. “I understand that you want to protect him, I get that, I really do... but if I put you two together, then you’re just going to spent the entire robbery watching his back and forgetting to watch your own, and will only get yourself killed. It’s better this way.”

“I strongly disagree,” Tyler replied in a sharp tone, and crossed his arms in much the same way that Evan had folded his.

“Mini can protect himself,” Evan insisted, and Mini’s heart leaped at the mention of his name. They were talking about him? “He doesn’t need you to coddle him. He can look after himself, and besides, I’ll be there too. It’s not like I’m forcing him to do this on his own.”

“I _know_  that. It’s just...” Tyler trailed off and glanced in his direction, only to immediately freeze when he realised they were looking at him.

Mini immediately turned away the second Tyler noticed them, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment of being caught, and turned to Brian and Brock who looked equally guilty. Brian started nodding his head to make it look like they were in the middle of a conversation, but only succeeded in making himself look ridiculous, something Brock was more than willing to point out to him.

Now that they were aware that their conversation had been overheard, Evan and Tyler had made a greater effort to keep quiet, and now Mini couldn’t hear what they were saying, no matter how hard he had tried to, which frustrated him to no end. They were obviously talking about him and he desperately wanted to know what they were saying, and what the outcome of their little discussion would be. 

From what he gathered from the small snippet of their talk that he did manage to catch, Tyler seemed to be upset with Evan for not arranging it so that he and Mini were robbing a store together later. He seemed to be annoyed that Evan was splitting them up, as he wanted to protect him and keep an eye on him, and he understandably couldn’t do that if they were apart.

Mini had very mixed feelings towards this. 

On one hand, he was incredibly flattered that Tyler seemed so desperate to ensure he was safe, and his his heart soared at the mere thought. Tyler cared so deeply for him, was always so concerned for his safety, and every time he remembered how much he meant to Tyler, Mini would smile brightly to himself and would feel butterflies in his stomach. He loved how fond of him Tyler was, and it was for that reason and many more that he fell for him to begin with.

But on the other hand... Mini wasn’t sure that he needed protection. He didn’t think that he needed Tyler trailing after him like a lost puppy, and shielding him from the big bad world. He wasn’t a child, or a wounded bird, he was perfectly capable of watching out for himself. He didn’t need Tyler to look after him. Sure he hasn’t shot anyone or killed anyone just yet, and he appreciates that Tyler seems so adamant to ensure that he never has to, but it’s very naive of him to think that he’ll never hurt anyone like that. One day Mini is going to have to kill someone, no matter how much he doesn’t want to, and that’s just the sad reality of his life now. There was no avoiding it, and no point in delaying the inevitable.

Tyler couldn’t protect him forever, and Mini was caught between not wanting him to, and never wanting him more than a few feet away from him at all times. He didn’t know what he wanted, and his mind was in too much of a muddle to take notice of Tyler and Evan standing up in front of the whole room again, or to pay full attention to what Evan was speaking to them all about, and he kept zoning in and out of his explanations of the plans for the upcoming robberies.

No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he just couldn’t stop thinking about Tyler.

\----

The alleyway was narrow and reeked of booze and stray cat, and was littered with beer bottles and plastic bags filled with god knows what. The silence was broken by the distant sound of Evan on the phone to Tyler on the other side of the alley, and Mini fidgeted with his new AK-47 in the uncomfortable air between him, Basically, and Delirious as they waited for him to finish with his call. Basically stood next to him, absentmindedly drumming on his own gun, while Delirious leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his gun still strapped to his back. 

There wasn’t much reason for him to be nervous, but he still was. All he had to do this time was sit on a roof with Basically across from the store that Delirious and Evan were going to rob and keep lookout, and possibly provide cover from the police if they didn’t manage to escape before they showed up. There was a chance that neither of them would have to do anything but call Evan when the coast was clear, but Mini was still worried that something would go wrong. No matter how simple the job seemed, something could always go wrong.

Especially this time. This time, there were a few variables and unknowns to account for in Evan’s overly complicated plan. First of all, they were working with Basically and Delirious who they were still not one hundred percent sure they could trust, and there was still the chance that they can be back stabbed at any moment. The fact that Evan was running off with Delirious and leaving him alone with Basically despite his promise to Tyler that he wouldn’t let Mini out of his sight, didn’t help the situation either.

Secondly, Evan decided that he wanted to try using a wireless Bluetooth headset to communicate as he thought it could potentially be a great way for them all to keep in touch during the bank heist, and decided that this robbery would be a great time to test it out. So not only were they working with people they might not be able to trust, but were also working with technology that they both only had a vague idea as to how to use.

There were too many opportunities for things to go wrong and for someone to get hurt as a result, and it made him nervous. This robbery should be no more difficult than any other robbery they had committed so far, as the store was small and the clerk unarmed, but he still couldn’t help but worry.

Evan made his way back over to them as he bid goodbye to Tyler and hung up the phone, rejoining the rest of the group at the opposite end of the alley. “The others have successfully completed their robbery with no problems, and managed to pull in a couple of thousand,” Evan updated them with a curt nod. “So I guess it’s our turn now. Everybody ready?”

“No...” Mini muttered to himself, but Evan simply chuckled to himself and clapped him on the shoulder.

“You’ll be fine. Just remember the plan, alright? Call me as soon as the store is empty, and Delirious and I will sneak in through the back and rob them. Shoot at any cops if they show up, and no matter what happens, run away as fast as you can the second we exit the store. Alright?” he asked, hand on his shoulder, and Mini nodded with a sigh.

“Alright.”

“Good. You’ve got this, Mini,” Evan reassured him and patted him a few times on the shoulder before taking a step back. “Knock them dead. Literally if need be,” he joked, and Mini rolled his eyes at him behind his mask, but he was glad that someone had faith in him, though he couldn’t help but be a little annoyed that his supposed best friend didn’t have the same faith in him as Evan did. 

In the break of their talk, Delirious took his chance to chime in with similar words of good luck to Basically. “Don’t die, bitch,” he said, a smirk evident in his voice as he held out his hand for a fist bump.

“You too, fuckhead,” Basically replied, letting go of his gun for a second so he could lightly tap their fists together.

“I’m not gonna die!” Delirious chuckled, a certain swagger in his step as stepped away from the wall. “I’m fucking Delirious, bitch!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air in overconfidence.

“Well ‘ _fucking Delirious’_ , let’s get a move on before we lose any more daylight,” Evan commented, reaching out to lightly grab him by the arm but Delirious was quick to dodge his hand, and shot him a glare for trying to touch him.

They glared at each other for a brief moment before Evan shook his head and presumably rolled his eyes as he started walking off down the alley, expecting Delirious to follow him. Delirious did eventually and reluctantly trail after him, but not before flipping his middle finger at him behind Evan’s back, scowling to himself about something or other, leaving Mini and Basically behind to trade looks of apprehension.

“They don’t seem to get along, do they?” Mini thought aloud, frowning to himself as he watched them sneak down the alley as they tried to find a way to creep across the street without being seen, a significant distance between them.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Basically mused, and turned to climb up the ladder that led to the roof of the building they were currently hiding behind. “Delirious has problems with authority, but he’ll behave himself.  _At least he better fucking behave himself_ ,” he muttered, allowing his gun to hang from his shoulder as he ascended to the roof.

Basically’s words did the opposite of reassuring him, and now Mini was suddenly worried that Delirious was going to try and kill Evan. Him and that Cartoonz guy did seem to be very interested in their bounties after all, and he hoped that Delirious wasn’t going to use this as his opportunity to try and snag Evan’s. Whatever the case, they both had already left and there wasn’t much he could do now but trust that they’d be able to work together, and Mini began climbing up the ladder, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake by not stopping them and insisting of a change of plan.

The breeze was slightly stronger on top of the roof, but it might have only felt like that because they were so high up. The building they were stood on was only a single story tall, but it was a good vantage point and gave them a good view of the store across the street, the very store Evan and Delirious were going to rob. Basically was already positioned with his gun aimed at the doorway when Mini made it to the top, and he quickly made his way over to him and joined him, kneeling down behind the small amount of cover the short wall lining the roof gave them.

From this position, they could see into the store through the large glass windows, and could spot a few customers lining up at the cashier, and another browsing the shelves. Evan told them not to call until there were only employees left, so it looked like they were going to be waiting a while.

“So what are you going to use your portion of the money for?” Mini asked, deciding to drum up a conversation instead of waiting in silence, and figured it wouldn’t hurt to get to know him a little better since they were going to be stuck with each other until the bank heist was over and done with. 

“Hmm? Oh uh...” Basically stammered, surprised at the question, and took a moment to debate with himself internally as to whether or not he wanted to answer that. “...Why do you want to know?” he asked, skeptical.

“Just curious,” Mini shrugged. “And I figured there must be  _something_  you want the cash for if you agreed to help us with something as dangerous as robbing a bank,” he explained, turning away from the store front to glance at him out of the corner of his eye for a moment.

Basically’s gaze on the store was unwavering as he contemplated answering him, before eventually sighing and giving in. “We’re thinking about using the money to get the fuck out of this godforsaken city, and get as far away from this life as possible,” he told him, and Mini nodded. He could understand why they’d want that, and if he was honest, that sounded like something he’d be interested in doing too.

“We?”

“Fourzer0 and I. We asked the others if they wanted to come with, but Nogla doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing, and Delirious has someone keeping him here,” Basically explained, with a light shrug. “I don’t mind though. As long as I can bring Fourzer0 with me, and those assholes promise to keep in touch, I don’t care what they do, as long as they’re happy. Meanwhile, my boy and I are going to live it up on the beach as far away from this fucking hellhole as possible.”

Mini nodded along as he spoke, his attention drifting back to the store, and he sighed to himself as he watched one customer leave only for another to walk in. “Are you two close?” he asked, now curious about their relationship.

“Yeah, you could say that,” he replied, a smile in his voice. “He’s my best friend, and pretty much all I have left. If anything bad happens to that dipshit, then I’m going to have to resurrect him just so I can kill him myself for fucking leaving me.”

Mini laughed at the sentiment, but he could understand why he’d say that. He felt the same way about his own best friend, and he could feel a pang in his chest at the mere thought of Tyler getting hurt. He shook the thought out of his head, not wanting to dwell on that scenario at all, and instead asked Basically another question about something he was wondering about.

“What about Lui? You didn’t mention him earlier,” he pointed out, hoping he wasn’t crossing a line by pressing too much into their personal lives.

"I... don’t know what he’s doing yet,” he responded hesitantly, a frown evident in his voice. “I mean... he also has someone who’s keeping him here, and... I know he wants to spend some of the money on their honeymoon and use the rest to get them both out of the city too, but... shit has happened between them recently, and all of that’s up in the air right now, and I know Lui would never leave the city without his fiancé,” he told him, obviously sad for his friend, and Mini had to wonder if he was talking about Droidd. He could vaguely remember him and Lui having what sounded like an argument in Spanish when he first met him, and he had a sneaking suspicion that they were a couple. “Now don’t fucking tell him I told you any of that! Or tell any of your friends for that matter. This conversation stays between you and me,” Basically insisted, turning to face him to make sure the message was driven home.

“My lips are sealed,” Mini replied, and made a motion to zip his lips, but considering he was wearing a vulture mask, he imagined the action probably looked a little ridiculous.

“Good,” Basically said firmly, and turned back to the store once more.

The crowd within the store finally looked like it was thinning, as all the visible people inside where in the queue at the checkout. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long now until the store was empty and they could finally rob it. as Mini didn’t particularly fancy staying on the roof all day.

“So what are you using your part of the money for?” Basically asked him in return, and Mini realised that he didn’t actually know.

“I have no idea. I just want to pay off our debt to Sark, and I don’t know what I want to do beyond that. Getting the fuck out of Los Santos sounds pretty good though, but I wouldn’t know where to go,” he told him honestly, with a frown. He could fly back home and get out of the country completely, though he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to face his family again after everything he’s done. Beyond that, he didn’t know where to go.

“Well, I’d tell you where we’re going but... y’know...” Basically said with a light shrug, and Mini nodded in understanding. He doesn’t blame him for not wanting to give out that information. He wouldn’t want known criminals to know where he was fleeing to either. “Well, you could always pull a Lui, and drag Wildcat on some extravagant romantic getaway,” he suggested nonchalantly, and Mini was glad that he wasn’t drinking anything at the moment, because he almost certainly would have choked on it.

“ _What_?!” he exclaimed in surprise, his voice rising a few octaves and his stomach flipped at the suggestion.

“I’m saying you two should go-...” Basically began to repeat, but cut himself off when he realised why Mini had reacted the way he did. “Oh. Oh fuck. You two aren’t actually dating, are you?”

“ _No_!” Mini screeched, his cheeks beginning to heat up, and even though he was glad his mask was covering his blush, he also wanted to rip it off to let some air at his suddenly warm face. 

“Shit. I’m sorry, dude! I just assumed you were from the way you two act around each other!” Basically explained, and Mini looked at him incredulously. What was  _that_  supposed to mean?! “I mean, Wildcat picked a fight with your leader today over you, and I honestly thought he was going to straight up  _murder_  Fourzer0 that day in the warehouse. He’s so fucking protective of you, and I just assumed it was because you two were in love or something.”

“Yeah, well we’re not,” Mini said sharply through gritted teeth, trying his best to ignore how his heart sank at the thought, and he gulped. “We’re just  _friends_. He’s only protective of me because I’m his best friend, that’s it. You’ve read it all wrong,” he added, taking a breath in the hopes of calming his aching heart. 

So what if Tyler didn’t like him back? It was only a stupid crush anyway, and it would go away eventually. He didn’t care that his feelings weren’t returned. It didn’t matter, not when he was going to get over all of this soon enough anyway.  _It didn’t matter_.

“I’m sorry! I just assumed!” Basically reiterated, sounding genuinely guilty for what he said.

“It’s alright. You didn’t know,” Mini sighed, forgiving him. He shouldn’t blame him for the pain in his chest, it wasn’t his fault. It was his own for foolishly falling for his best friend, and the quicker he got over his stupid feelings so he could go back to seeing Tyler as nothing but a good friend again, the better. 

The conversation came to a swift end after that when the last customer finally left the store. Mini whipped out his phone and called Evan to let him know the coast was clear, and as soon as he had spoken those words, he could hear him burst through a door and start yelling at the clerk through the line. He could also hear gunshots and the sound of something breaking, and Delirious yelling in the background, but what really caught his attention was the sound of sirens in the distance.

“Is that the fucking police already?!” Basically barked, as Mini warned Evan through the phone that the police could be coming and then hastily hung up in a panic to get into position. “How the fuck did they get here so fast?!”

“I don’t know! There must be a precinct nearby!” Mini exclaimed, fumbling to slip his phone back into his pocket and reached for his gun again, aiming it down the street from which he could hear the sirens.

Within seconds, two squad cars came skidding to a halt outside of the store, and Mini could feel himself begin to get anxious. Evan and Delirious were still inside, and he couldn’t understand what was taking them so long. The police all piled out of the cars and began ducking behind them for cover, all aiming their guns at the door, waiting for them to come out. They held their backs to Mini and Basically, not seeming to realise that they were watching them from the roof, unknowingly leaving themselves outflanked. 

Mini pointed his gun at one of their backs but withheld from firing, unsure as to what to do, and Basically seemed hesitant also. Evan and Delirious were stuck inside and there was no way for them to get out without being shot at, but Mini and Basically couldn’t shoot at the cops without alerting them to their position, and Mini didn’t particularly want to kill anyone either, and by the way this situation was progressing, it seemed like he wasn’t going to have much of a choice. 

They could just about see Evan and Delirious in the store hiding behind some shelves, taking cover so they wouldn’t be shot through the windows. They were completely pinned down and couldn’t so much as move a muscle without being fired at by the firing squad outside the store. The back door they had presumably entered through was open, and they could quickly dart out through it and escape out the back, if only they had a distraction. 

“You shoot one, I’ll shoot another?” Basically suggested in a low whisper, and Mini reluctantly nodded, his heart already beating a mile a minute at the mere thought of shooting someone.

He picked a cop at random, figuring murder was murder no matter who he shot, and aimed down the barrel at them. He took slow deep breaths to try to calm himself down, holding the gun as steady as he could in spite of his shaking sweaty hands. The cop in his sights stood by the police car, completely unaware of the fate that was about to befall him, and Mini’s stomach was already twisting uncomfortably with guilt.

_He could have a family. He could have a great life, and he was about to take all of that away from him._

Without warning, Basically fired his weapon, and the gunshot startled him enough for Mini to pull the trigger as well, and he could only watch in shock horror as his target slammed into the car with a sickening clang, and then fall to the ground with a thud. The remaining cops turned around to see where the shots had come from, and Evan and Delirious used this as their chance to sprint out the back, but Mini didn’t register their movement. His gaze was firmly fixed on the still, bleeding body on the street, and he suddenly found it hard to breathe.

_He was dead. He was dead because of him. He murdered someone. He killed a man. He was a killer, a cold blooded killer._

Basically grabbed his suit jacket and sharply tugged him down behind cover just in time to avoid the returned fire that flew over their heads. “You fucking killed him?! Why did you fucking kill him?! You could’ve just shot him in the leg or something! You didn’t have to fucking kill him!” he hissed, blind firing over the roof at the police down below them.

“I-I-I-I don’t know! I wasn’t- I was just-” Mini tried to explain but couldn’t, and forced himself to take a deep breath in a feeble attempt to calm himself down before he had a panic attack. His heart was pumping and his hands were trembling so much that he could barely keep a grip on his gun, and his stomach churned with guilt.

He killed a man. He shot someone. He murdered someone in cold blood who not only didn’t deserve to die, but  _didn’t have to either_. He could have left him alive, but no; Mini shot him, and he was dead,  _all because of him_. 

_He was a killer, a cold hearted killer._

“Look it doesn’t fucking matter! We need to get the fuck out of here  _now_!” Basically exclaimed, and started to crouch towards the ladder, but didn’t get far before he realised that Mini wasn’t following him, but was instead frozen in place, in shock of what he had done. “Fucking move!” he yelled at him and frantically waved for him to follow him, and it wasn’t until he heard that direct order that Mini snapped out of it.

Throughout their entire escape, Mini was on autopilot. He trailed closely behind Basically, allowing him to lead the way as they weaved in and out of alleyways and hopped over walls and fences as they tried to outrun the police, not paying any attention to what he was doing or where he was going. All he could think about was the fact that he had killed someone, the fact that he had mercilessly ripped a future away from someone who didn’t deserve it, and it was taking every last piece of willpower he had left not to break down there and then.

At some point they had lost the police and Mini wasn’t even sure when, and the next thing he knew he was standing outside Evan’s apartment building, his mask in his hands. Basically was rattling off their side of the story to Evan, who was eyeing him with concern, but Mini paid him no heed. He was just barely holding himself together, but the second he spied the familiar pig mask leave the building, he lost it.

Mini practically shoved Delirious out of the way so he could stomp over to Tyler, making a beeline towards him, ignoring anything and everything else that was going on around them. “Mini? Are you okay-” Tyler began to say, but was immediately cut off when Mini gripped his shirt and pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face into his shoulder.

His shoulders were shaking hysterically and tears streamed down his face, and he couldn’t catch a breath between hiccuping sobs and chanting ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Palm his beak" sounds like euphemism for something.
> 
> Anyway, re: the change of banks thing. So about a third of the way through this chapter, I came to the shocking realisation that the Maze Bank Tower that I was /going/ to have them rob originally, isn't actually a bank, and the bank that I /was/ picturing was a different building entirely. I haven't played a GTA game since Vice City (maybe San Andreas?), so I honestly didn't know. I am a huge stickler for accuracy, so this led to me making the executive decision to change which building they were robbing, so if you're wondering what took this chapter so long, it's because I had to go back and edit/rewrite chapters to accommodate for this change, and /then/ I had to rework the entire plot for everything that happens after this. So yeah, I had a bit of a setback that lead straight into a terrible bout of writer's block, but I got through it and here we are. 
> 
> While I did change some details in past chapters, it's not necessary for you to go back and reread anything so don't worry about that. Any slight changes I made were also mentioned in this chapter, so as long as you read everything in this part, then you're all up to speed. 
> 
> Also, from this point onward, I'm going to aim for fortnightly updates, give or take a few days. That's kinda what I've been doing anyway, but I do want to be better about it. These chapters keep getting longer and I honestly don't think it's possible for me to update this weekly any more, so fortnightly is the best I can do :( I'm sorry that I can't be as frequent as I used to be, but I am working on trying to fall back into a regular schedule at least. I've been doing a terrible job of it, but I'm trying. 
> 
> Regardless, I hope you've been enjoying this, and thanks as always for all of the comments, kudos, etc, you're the best and I <3 all of you


	13. Ambivalence

Mini woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, short of breath, and his heart beating too fast against his rib cage. He was panting heavily as he came down from his nightmare, his mind still racing as he slowly processed that it all was just a bad dream, a terrible memory, and that in reality he was safely tucked in bed, Tyler sleeping soundly next to him.

He wasn’t back on the roof with Basically, wasn’t armed with a weapon that took an innocent’s life, and hadn’t just shot a policeman. The gunshots ringing in his head weren’t real, nor was the awful stench of blood and death. His closest friends hadn’t encircled him to accuse of him being a murderer, a killer, or some sort of butcher. They hadn’t disowned him or grown to loathe him because of what he had done, it was all in his head. It was all a product of his vivid imagination, and wasn’t real.

Or at least, some of it wasn’t real. Mini had killed an innocent man today, and no matter how much he wished he could wake up from that living nightmare, he couldn’t. He couldn’t take back what he had done, couldn’t reverse time and make a nonlethal shot instead, and the overwhelming guilt would forever weigh heavy on his conscience. 

Sighing to himself, Mini rolled onto his back, ever so careful not to wake Tyler who still insisted on sleeping with an arm around him, and covered his face with his hands. In this new position, Tyler’s arm was draped across his chest, and he could now feel his warm breath on the side of his face instead of the back of his head, and he really didn’t need this right now.

His chest was already aching from guilt, he didn’t need the additional weight of heartbreak on top of it. Being this close to Tyler every night was starting to take a toll on him and it wasn’t helping his crush at all, and whilst before he found a certain comfort in being wrapped up in his arms and held so delicately as if he were the most precious thing in the world to him, now all it did was send a sharp pain through his chest. Lying here with him was far too intimate and his poor heart couldn’t take it, as all it did was give him a taste of what it would be like to be in a relationship with him, and give him a taste of something he could never have.

And just when he thought he couldn’t possibly hurt himself any more, Mini made the mistake of turning his head towards him, and his breath hitched and his heart stopped. Tyler’s face was mere inches away from his, still sleeping soundly, a peaceful expression gracing his handsome features. His lips were slightly parted as he breathed softly, not snoring like a jackhammer for once in his life, and Mini found himself wondering, not for the first time, what it would be like to lean over and kiss him. He wondered what he would taste like, if his lips were as soft as he imagined them to be, and whether or not he would kiss him back with the same intensity that he longed to kiss him with.

Mini swallowed hard and turned to stare back up at the ceiling, dragging his gaze away from Tyler before he gave into the temptation and did something he could later regret. His breathing picked up again, and all of the negative emotions that still lingered from his nightmare coupled with his new heart ache was too much for him to handle, and he choked back a sob and covered his eyes with his arm. He couldn’t take the emotional pain that suddenly struck him and he began to weep quietly in the darkness of the room.

No matter how quiet he had tried to be, he still managed to wake up Tyler, and could feel him move around a little as he drifted into consciousness. Mini turned his head to face the other way so that Tyler wouldn’t see the tears streaming down his cheeks, and bit his lip hard in an attempt to stop the crying and keep quiet long enough so that Tyler might fall back asleep without noticing him, but he still couldn’t help but hiccup out some soft sobs, which only made him feel  _worse_. He didn’t want him to see him like this, even if this wasn’t the first time Tyler had seen him cry. He didn’t want him to think he was weak, or that he couldn’t handle his own problems, and he certainly didn’t want Tyler to catch him when he was crying over _him._

But luck wasn’t with him, and Mini clenched his eyes shut as Tyler stirred behind him, and he could feel his weight on the bed shift as he slowly sat up so that he could look down on him, the arm across his chest moving as Tyler did. “Mini...?” he asked quietly, checking to see if he was awake, and Mini did his best to fake being asleep but a choked sob betrayed him. “Mini!” he repeated with more urgency, panic in his voice. “Holy shit, are you okay?!”

Now that he was found out, there was no point in trying to hide any more, and Mini turned back to face Tyler, only to be met with a view he wasn’t prepared for. Tyler lay next to him, propping himself up with one elbow, his head hovering somewhere above his, eyes filled with worry and concern. His other hand was lightly resting on Mini’s chest, effectively trapping him beneath him, and Mini had no choice but to lie on his back under him in a position he never thought they would find themselves in. 

Mini swallowed hard as his cheeks began to heat up, but Tyler didn’t notice his blush as he was far too focused on the fact that Mini was crying. “ _Hey hey hey, it’s okay, you’re okay_ ,” he reassured him softly as he moved into a more comfortable sitting position, before scooping him up and into his arms, pulling him into his lap for a hug. “I’ve got you, you’re okay.”

This closeness was exactly what he needed in that moment. He needed to feel Tyler’s arms around him, needed to feel him rub soothing circles into his back, and whisper soft words of reassurance into his ear. This closeness didn’t help his crush any, but he shoved his debilitating feelings aside for the time being and allowed himself to melt into his touch. Mini snaked his arms around him and buried his face into his neck, and his fingers entangled themselves in the back of his shirt as he breathed in the familiar scent of his deodorant (it was something generic, like Old Spice or Axe Body Spray and it reeked to the high heavens, but it was just  _so Tyler_  that Mini couldn’t bring himself to care). 

A small voice in the back of his mind wanted to freak out about him sitting on Tyler’s lap, but chose instead to revel in the moment while he could. His breathing was still ragged from crying but he was no longer sobbing but merely sniffling, and he allowed himself to relax in his hold. “I’m sorry for soaking your t-shirt,” Mini muttered into his shoulder, realising that he was staining Tyler’s clothes with his tears. “And your pillow.”

“You know I don’t fucking care about that. All I care about is that you’re okay,” Tyler told him, and Mini felt his heart swell and he smiled in spite of himself.

“I’m okay,” he breathed, and for a brief shining moment, he genuinely believed that he was.

“Good. Now, do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” Tyler pressed him, and Mini’s grip on his shirt tightened and his body tensed as everything came flooding back to him.

There was absolutely no way he was ever telling Tyler that part of the reason he was so upset was because he got a brief glimpse of what it would be like to date him, and that the realization that he could never ever have that hit him like a ton of bricks. Mini was adamant that he didn’t want that anyway, that he just wanted him to be his friend and nothing more, and adamant that all he wanted was to get over his stupid crush and move on with his life. At least, he didn’t  _think_  he wanted to date him, not until he woke up cuddled in his arms and could feel his breath on his face, and realised that he could have this and so much more every day if he just closed the distance between their lips. Mini became aware of a part of him that he didn’t know existed, and now his heart ached over something he was still confused about. Mini wasn’t sure of what he wanted any more and it scared him.

But his silly feelings were the least of his worries right now. Mini was sure he would get over those eventually, one way or another, but the guilt that had quickly rooted itself deep in his stomach he was sure would stay forever. He could get over Tyler and fall for someone else, someone who was actually attainable, but there was absolutely nothing he could do that would bring back that cop. There was nothing he could do that would undo his murder, and he was going to have to live with that guilt on his conscience for the rest of his days.

He deserved that though. Mini took away a man’s life. He killed someone who didn’t deserve to die, and Mini deserved to feel bad for it. He deserved every single nightmare, every little pain in his chest, and deserved to have his heart broken by Tyler. He didn’t deserve happiness. Why should he be happy when he cruelly took the chance of happiness away from someone else?

He was a terrible person, the absolute scum of the earth, and he deserved everything he had coming to him.

But he wasn’t going to tell Tyler that though.

“I had a bad dream,” Mini finally answered, and it almost felt like he was lying to him as there was so much more to his distress than just that, but he point blank refused to tell him.

Tyler didn’t seem to like this response however as Mini could hear him stop breathing for a second as his whole body tensed up. “...You did?” he asked softly, almost scared of the answer. “Even though we...?”

"Yeah,” Mini nodded, but then added quickly “But the whole bed sharing thing  _did_  work. This is the first time I’ve had a nightmare since I’ve started sleeping with you. I guess... I guess killing that cop just really affected me,” he told him, noting how much of a huge understatement that was.

Tyler didn’t say anything for a moment, but he didn’t need to for Mini to know that he was mentally berating himself for somehow not being able to protect him from his own mind, but before Mini could call him out on this, Tyler changed the subject. “What was your dream about?”

Mini’s grip on him tightened a little as the memory came flooding back, and he took a shaky breath. “It was just... It was just about what happened today, with the cop,” he sighed, absentmindedly tracing circles and shapes onto Tyler’s back. “I can’t stop thinking about it...”

“Yeah, my first kill was rough too,” Tyler agreed with a slight nod, but Mini could only frown to himself. 

He didn’t remember Tyler having a rough time when he first killed someone, and in fact, couldn’t pinpoint the night he had committed his first murder. While Mini was sure that it might have been hard on him, he handled it a lot better than he was currently handling it, and hid all his guilt and ill feelings a lot better. Tyler was a lot stronger than him, and the fact that he dealt with it all so well but caught him in the middle of a breakdown made him feel so  _weak_. 

“But do you know how I got through it?” Tyler asked, pulling back a little so he could look him in the eye, smiling softly at him, and their faces were close enough that all Mini could see was clear blue eyes and he swallowed hard. “I talked to Evan about it. Now, Evan isn’t here, but I'm willing to listen if you’re willing to talk to me, and you  _should_. It’ll help you feel better.”

Mini tore his gaze away from him and stared at a random spot on the wall behind him, not wanting to talk about it but knowing that Tyler was right and it help him feel a little better if he got some of his feelings off his chest. With a sigh, Mini bit his lip before asking “How much do you know about the robbery?”

“Jack shit. We went straight home as soon as you got back to Evan’s, remember? And the only thing you told me was that you killed a cop,” Tyler reminded him, and Mini sighed again as he realised that he was going to have to explain everything to him from the very beginning, including the parts that he really didn’t want to tell him about. 

"You’re... probably not going to like this...” Mini began with a nervous chuckle. “But uh... Evan had this idea to test some Bluetooth headset thingys, so he and Delirious went into the store while Basically and I watched from the roof across-”

“ _What_?!” Tyler all but growled, his tone as livid as Mini was expecting it to be. “He  _left_  you?!” he continued, and Mini tried to stop him mid-tirade but failed. “Well of fucking course this bullshit happened then! He was supposed to keep an eye on you, but no, the  _motherfucker_  had to go back on his promise and fucking abandon you! He left you with the fucking asshole that kidnapped you! You could’ve-  _you could’ve fucking died_!” 

Tyler paused for a moment immediately after that realization as he imagined that scenario in his head, and Mini took this as his opportunity to say something. “Tyler, don’t get mad at Evan-”

“ _Too fucking late-”_

“TYLER!” Mini said sharply to silence him. “Listen. It’s not Evan’s fault-”

“Yes it fucking is!” Tyler insisted, his voice rising, and Mini was glad that Brock had opted to spend the night at Brian’s, otherwise he would have definitely been woken up just then. “He promised me that he would stay with you, and he fucking didn’t, and because of that you were forced to do the one thing you didn’t want to do to protect his sorry ass, the one thing  _I_  didn’t want you to do  _at all_ , and here you are fucking suffering because of it! It’s all his fucking fault that this happened and-”

“ _Tyler shut the fuck up and listen to me,_ ” Mini hissed, and slapped a hand over Tyler’s mouth to prevent him from interrupting him again, looking him in the eye to make sure he was listening. Tyler seemed to be surprised at his actions, but made no move to remove his hand or say something further, and Mini took a deep breath. “It’s not Evan’s fault. He thought I could handle being on my own, and I honestly thought I could too.” Part of him wanted to comment on the fact that Tyler seemed to have no faith in him, and didn’t seem to believe that Mini could protect himself, but he refrained. He really did not want to get into an argument with Tyler over that right now. 

“Evan was giving me a chance to prove that I could handle being on my own. It’s not his fault that I killed the cop,  _it’s mine,”_ Mini continued and took a deep breath. “I didn’t even have to kill him, you know,” he informed him in a soft tone, his hand falling away from Tyler’s mouth. “I only had to subdue him or maim him or  _something_  that would’ve caused an adequate distraction so that Evan and Delirious could get away without getting shot, but I  _fucking killed him_. THAT’S what’s bothering me. The fact that I just- just up and killed someone without even thinking twice about it! I’m a fucking murderer, Tyler! I’m a terrible fucking person who just kills people because I can, and now someone is dead just because all I could fucking think about was shooting someone! I’m a fucking killer, Tyler, I’m a bad fucking person and I just- I can’t- I...” 

Mini couldn’t finish his thought as he started sobbing again, and Tyler pulled him flush against his chest again, allowing him to cry into his shoulder. “You’re not a murderer, Mini,” Tyler reassured him softly, and rubbed a comforting hand up and down his back, the other around his waist.

“I killed someone, Tyler. That’s the  _definition_  of a fucking murderer,” Mini muttered against his collar in between hiccups, and started taking slow but broken deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down.

“You killed one person, Mini,  _one time_ , and you did it to save Evan. That does not make you a bad person,” Tyler continued, and began to gently massage his fingers into his skin, and Mini felt his shoulders relax. “If anything, it makes you a good person because you did it to save his AND Delirious’ life.”

Mini chuckled darkly. “Killing someone does not make me a good person, Tyler, but nice try.”

Tyler paused for a moment, mulling that thought over, before replying “I think it does,” he admitted, much to Mini’s surprise. “Look... sometimes we have to do bad things to do the  _right_  thing. For you, that was killing one cop to protect Evan and Delirious. For me... for me, it was killing a lot of cops to protect  _you_ , and the others. That doesn’t make us bad people, it... it doesn’t make us murderers,” Tyler told him, sounding as if he was trying to convince  _himself_  of that just as much as he was trying to convince Mini.

“It still kinda does though...” Mini said quietly.

“Well... maybe it does, but I stand by what I said. You’re not a bad person for what you did. Maybe  _I am_ , but  _you’re_  not. Bad people don’t feel guilty for doing bad things, Mini, and they  _certainly_  don’t have nightmares or cry over it. You’re not a bad person.”

“If you say so...” Mini replied, still unsure as to whether or not he agreed with him. He wanted to, but the sinking feeling of guilt in his stomach was not that easily waved away. He still felt terrible for what he had done, and knew that this was something he wasn’t going to recover from easily. 

“I do say so. I think you’re a good person Mini, and there’s nothing you could ever say or do that will change my mind,” Tyler informed him.

“You won’t change your mind?” Mini repeated, and he felt Tyler nod his head. “Not even if I did something so terrible that it hurt you?”

Tyler laughed lightly, as if that was the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard. “You would never do anything to hurt me, Mini,” he said, and pulled back so he could look him in the eye again. His expression was soft and he wore a fond smile that jump started Mini’s heart, and he brought his hand away from his back to cup his cheek instead. “Same as how I would never do anything to hurt you.”

His words were honest, and that combined with how he was looking at him so tenderly, and the way his thumb lightly stroked the still healing scar on his cheek, made Mini’s heart pound. Tyler stared at him, his eyes drinking him in as he studied every little detail of his face as if he were committing it to memory. For a split second, he thought that maybe Tyler was going to lean in and kiss him and Mini was half tempted to close the distance between them himself, but instead Tyler’s lips tugged downwards into a frown. 

“I’m sorry you had to do that, Mini,” he told him, letting go of his cheek and pulling him into a tight hug once again. “You should never have had to do that, and I’ll do absolutely everything in my power to make sure that you never have to do it again. I  _swear on my fucking life_  that you will never have to kill another human being ever again. I promise.”

Deep down, Mini knew that he couldn’t promise that, and the situation may arise again where he’ll have to kill someone else, but he chose not to dwell on that thought. Instead, he took Tyler’s words at face value and tightened his grip on him, burying his face into his shoulder and nuzzling his face into his neck a little. That empty promise, that little gesture that showed how deeply he cared, was enough for him for the time being, and he shoved all logic aside and allowed Tyler to comfort him.

“Thank you,” he whispered against his skin and breathed in his comforting scent. “Thank you.”

\----

Even after his talk with Tyler, Mini was still plagued with nightmares and didn’t get much sleep. He woke from his fitful sleep several times, panting and sweating, but was relieved that he had least didn’t wake Tyler up after the first time. His awful night eventually got to the point where he gave up on getting a decent night’s sleep and instead crawled out of Tyler’s arms and slinked into the living room to play on the Xbox as he waited for Tyler to wake up.

Now, he was stood tiredly in the elevator on the way up to Evan’s apartment for breakfast, and felt dead on his feet. His whole body was exhausted and he struggled to keep his eyes open, and was now operating solely on auto pilot as he trailed after Tyler towards their destination, the promise of his favourite pancakes fueling him. 

Tyler himself was being unusually quiet, and although he was thankful for the silence, Mini was still a little concerned. Tyler hadn’t spoken to him that much since he had left his bedroom that morning and spied him on the couch, and once Mini had explained to him that he couldn’t fall back to sleep because of his incessant guilt ridden bad dreams, he became very tight lipped for reasons Mini couldn’t quite figure out.

Even now in the lift, Tyler was silent when ordinarily they’d be filling the dead air with idle chit chat. Mini looked up at him to try and guess what he was thinking, but he was wearing his mask in the off chance that the other gang was here, rendering his expression unreadable. He wanted to ask him what was running through his mind, but before he could get the chance, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

Tyler stepped out and walked to Evan’s apartment door with a purpose, only pausing at the door so that Mini could catch up to him. Mini could practically feel the way he was examining him and his exhausted state, watching all too closely as he trudged towards him with heavy feet. He half expected Tyler to make some teasing comment about his exhaustion, but he didn’t which concerned him more, and instead Tyler pulled out his key and pushed the door open with more force than necessary before entering, Mini trailing behind him.

The only person in the main room of the apartment was Brock, who was sitting at the dining room table on his phone, an empty bowl of cereal in front of him. He looked up in surprise as they came in, but immediately relaxed when he realised who it was. “Oh hey! Good morning!” he greeted with a smile, only to frown again when Mini trudged over to him. “Are you okay? You look like a zombie.”

“I didn’t get much sleep last night,” Mini explained, and then yawned, right on cue. 

Brock gave him a sympathetic smile and patted him on the arm. “I’m sorry, buddy, that sucks,” he consoled him, but his smile slowly tugged into a coy smirk, and he couldn’t resist adding “I’m guessing not for the same reasons that I couldn’t sleep?” It took him a moment for his tired mind to process what Brock meant by that, and for him to connect the dots between Brock not sleeping and spending the night at Brian’s, and even then it seemed that that’s not what he was implying as Brock’s eyes widened. “No we just made out! We didn’t- oh God,” he said quickly, dropping his phone onto the table and burying his face in his hands, embarrassed.

Mini chuckled lightly at him, and smiled when he heard Tyler laugh as well for the first time that day, and patted Brock on the back. “It’s alright, buddy. No judgement here,” he reassured him, and then glanced around the room. “Where is Brian anyway?”

“In the heist room with Evan,” he mumbled against his palms. 

“The heist room?!” Tyler piped up suddenly in a sharp tone that caught both him and Brock off guard. “What are they doing in the heist room?!”

“Uh... planning a heist?” Brock said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and removed his hands from his face to look up at Tyler confused. “Why? What’s wrong with that?”

Tyler didn’t answer him, and instead his eyes drifted to Mini and he took in his disheveled appearance. He clenched and unclenched his hands as his shoulder tensed and jaw steeled, and Mini wished, not for the first time that day, that he could read his mind and tell what he was thinking. Whatever it was he was trying to decide, he came to a snap conclusion and quickly turned on his heel and stormed into the heist room without a word. Mini and Brock shared looks of confusion before hastily followed after him, and stood at the door as they watched the scene unfold.

Evan was by the whiteboard, marker in hand, and was looking at Tyler with a mixture of surprise and confusion, an expression that Brian matched from his seat by the computer. Tyler stood in the center of the room, glaring Evan down from behind his mask, seemingly forgetting that he had it on. 

“What the fuck are you planning a heist for?!” he snarled, and Evan furrowed his eyebrows at him as he tried to figure out what was so bad about that, but Tyler didn’t give him a chance to answer. “You planning on fucking throwing Mini into danger again?!”

At the mention of his name, suddenly all attention was on him, with the exception of Tyler’s whose gaze was still firmly locked on Evan, and Mini’s eyes widened in surprise.  _This_  was why he was angry? He was still mad about what they talked about last night? “ _Tyler..._?” Mini said in a warning tone, hoping he remembered how he had  _specifically_  asked him  _not_  to get pissed at Evan.

“I... what?” Evan voiced, bewildered. “What are you talking about, Tyler?”

“ _I’m talking about the fact that you broke your fucking promise_!” Tyler growled, as Evan’s face lit up in realisation. “Yeah, that’s right. I know what you fucking did. When the fuck were you going to tell me that you left Mini  _on his fucking own_  after you  _swore_  to me that you wouldn’t?!” he asked, and began approaching Evan, squaring him up, but Evan held his ground.

“Well, considering I figured you’d react like this, I wasn’t going to-” 

Tyler was quick to cut him off by grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and pinning him to the whiteboard. Surprise flashed on Evan’s face for a second, but his expression was quick to turn neutral again, and he gently grabbed Tyler’s wrists but made no move to force his hands off him. Brock could only watch on with shock and confusion, while Brian was caught between wanting to split them up but not wanting to be on the receiving end of Tyler’s sudden rage.

Mini on the other hand, was not having any of it and was quick to chastise him. “ _Tyler!_ ” he called sharply, and at the sudden sound of his voice, Tyler let go of Evan and took a step back, almost as if he were ashamed of what he was doing. Almost.

“I  _trusted_  you, Evan!” Tyler grumbled through gritted teeth, his fists clenched tight. “I trusted you to look after him and  _you fucking didn’t!_ You fucking abandoned him and look what fucking happened!”

“He was going to have to kill a cop eventually, Tyler,” Evan pointed out calmly and folded his arms across his chest.

“But if you kept your fucking promise then he wouldn’t have had to!” Tyler exclaimed, his voice raising, and the more he yelled, the more uncomfortable Mini got. He did _not_  like Tyler fighting with Evan for his sake, but he couldn’t get a word in edgeways to stop them. “If you actually did what you  _fucking told me_  you were going to do, then this whole fucking situation could have been avoided!”

“Mini can look after himself. He doesn’t need either of us babysitting him,” Evan insisted, and Mini nodded in agreement even though no one was paying attention to him, as all eyes were locked on Tyler.

“Yes he fucking does!” Tyler exclaimed without thinking, and Mini felt something inside him break. 

Tyler really did have no faith in him. All this time he thought that maybe he was reading everything wrong, and thought that it was just his imagination playing up, but no; Tyler genuinely didn’t believe in him. Tyler genuinely didn’t believe that he was cut out for this, thought he was too  _weak_  to do what everyone else did. His best friend, the man he was slowly falling for, didn’t have faith in him, and his heart twisted painfully in his chest.

“ _What._..?!” Mini asked, and Tyler quickly turned around to face him the second he heard the crack in his voice. The others were now looking at him too, but they didn’t register as his focus was solely on the expressionless pig mask staring down at him.  “You think I need a  _fucking babysitter_?!”

“No! I just mean- I’d rather you weren’t by yourself is all,” Tyler exclaimed, the voice he used to speak to him sounding much softer than the one he used to speak to Evan.

“Why?! Because I can’t fucking protect myself?! Is that it?! Because I’m a fucking child that  _cries_  the first second anything goes fucking wrong, so OBVIOUSLY I need  _someone_  to look after me, because I can’t fucking do it myself?!” Mini ranted, and could feel himself getting angrier by the second, feeling so incredibly hurt that Tyler would even _think_  something like this, let alone proclaim in front of all of their friends.

“That’s not what I fucking meant!” Tyler snapped at him, exasperated.

“Then what did you fucking mean?!” Mini snapped back, hands curled into fists and shoulders stiff. His eyes stung with the threat of tears, but he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from breaking. He couldn’t cry now, couldn’t show weakness. He couldn’t let Tyler know he was  _right_.

“ _What I mean_  is... is... I just... I don’t want you to get hurt,” his tone was soft again, and there was a flutter in his stomach at his words, but Mini couldn’t let his crush get to him. His words didn’t change what Tyler thought about him.

“Yeah, because if I’m on my own then  _of course_  I’m going to get fucking hurt because I can’t protect myself!” he drawled, acid dripping from his tongue as he glared him down.

“ _Would you fucking listen to me_?! I’m just trying to protect you!”

“Well I don’t NEED you to protect me, because I can protect my-fucking-self!” Mini exclaimed, flailing his arms wildly as he spoke. “I mean, yeah, maybe I can’t handle this shit as well as you or Evan can, but I can still fucking handle it! I know that I fucking... I know that I fucking  _broke down_  in front of you a couple of times but that’s only because I  _trusted_  you! I trusted you not to fucking judge me or think shit about me, but I apparently I was fucking  _wrong._ ”his voice began to break towards the end of his little rant, and it was getting harder and harder not to cry, his breath shaky. 

He was wrong to trust Tyler with his feelings, wrong to trust Tyler with his fragile heart. It seemed that Tyler didn’t think as highly of Mini, as Mini thought of him, and his heart was slowly beginning to splinter as he realised that the entire time he was pouring his heart out to him the night before, Tyler was thinking he was  _weak_. 

“Mini...” Tyler said softly, and reached out towards him, but Mini backed away from his hands, almost bumping into Brock in the process.

“ _Don’t fucking touch me_ ,” he grumbled, and he wiped away his tears with the cuff of his sleeve. 

He  _hated_  himself for crying in the middle of an argument in which he was trying to prove he was just as strong as the rest of them, and hated fighting with Tyler in general, but it just couldn’t be avoided. It felt as though his heart had snapped in half, and he couldn’t believe that Tyler thought he was weak and wasn’t able to look after himself. Evan believed in him, but the person whose opinion of him mattered most didn’t, and it  _hurt_. 

It really fucking hurt, and Mini wasn’t sure he could look at him any longer.

“Just... just fucking leave me alone,” Mini muttered, and turned on his heel and made a beeline towards the one room in the apartment that he’d find any peace in. 

Tyler followed him the whole way to Evan’s bedroom, calling out his name as he stormed after him, but Mini ignored him and slammed the bedroom door in his face and locked it. He could hear Tyler knocking and begging to let him in so they could talk, but once Mini told him to  _fuck off_ , he quietened down. The last thing Mini heard was Brock’s soft voice speaking to Tyler as he lead him away, and soon their voices died down and he was finally alone.

The silence in the bedroom was satisfying, and it was a relief to be away from the others so that he could sort through all of the emotions and thoughts running through his brain. He sat down on the edge of Evan’s bed for a moment, before quickly sliding down onto the floor, and hugged his legs to his chest and buried his face in his knees. The tears were streaming down his face as he sniffled to himself, and quietly cursed himself for weeping.

The past twenty four hours were rough on him, and every time he felt that things couldn’t possibly get any worse, they did. First he had killed that cop, and was still wracked with irremovable guilt because of it, and his nightmares returned as a consequence of his actions. Then, his stupid crush had hit full force when he had least expected it, and he ended up breaking down in front of Tyler. Tyler blamed Evan for everything even after Mini had explained that it was nobody’s fault but his own and picked a fight with him, in which Mini found out how little Tyler had thought of him, and in turn, Mini had a fight with Tyler.

Too much had happened in such little time, and it was taking a toll on him. Mini’s head hurt as he struggled to piece his broken heart back together, and on top of all the mixed feelings he was currently having towards Tyler, he couldn’t help but feel that maybe he deserved it for shooting that cop. He couldn’t help but think that maybe his fight with Tyler was karma for taking an innocent’s life. He thought that maybe the universe was taking every last chance of happiness he had to repay him for forcibly ripping that away from someone else.

But, maybe it was for the best that he found out Tyler’s opinion of him now before something happened between them (not that something would  _ever_  happen between them anyway, as Tyler deserved far better than a pathetic, trigger happy wimp like him). Maybe the universe was being merciful towards him and allowing him to experience his heartbreak now before he fell for him any harder than he already has, before they got any closer, and the pain would be so much worse.

Whatever the case, Mini was already finished with the day and he hadn’t even had breakfast yet, though the thought of eating Tyler’s pancakes now made him feel sick to his stomach.

Mini wasn’t sure how long he was left alone for, but after what felt like an hour, there was a knock on the door. “Mini?” Brock asked, gently. “Can I come in? It’s just me, nobody else.”

He debated with himself for a moment as he tried to decide whether or not he wanted to speak with him, before deciding that he’d rather not burn bridges between the two of them as well, and hoisted himself up off the ground. He unlocked the door and held it open for him, and glanced out into the main room as Brock slipped inside and was almost disappointed that he didn’t spy Tyler anywhere. He then quickly shut the door and locked the two of them inside.

Brock sat down on the edge of the bed, and patted the empty spot next to him, smiling softly at him, encouraging him to join him. Mini was hesitant to move, and reluctant to talk about what happened, but he sat next to him regardless, and nervously rubbed his arms as he stared down at the floor. He wasn’t sure what Brock wanted to talk about, but there was still a heavy weight in his chest and he wasn’t quite ready to talk about it just yet.

“How are you feeling?” Brock asked kindly, and Mini shrugged.

“Like shit,” he mumbled in response.

“Well, I’m not going to make you talk about it if you don’t want to, and I know that you  _probably_  don’t want to hear me make excuses for Tyler and the things he said, nor do I really want to get involved in whatever it is that’s going on between the two of you... but there is something that I think you should know about,” Brock told him, and Mini’s curiosity was piqued.

“So... back when you were uh,  _kidnapped..._ Tyler... didn’t handle it too well,” Brock began, chuckling sheepishly. “We already told you about how he kinda yelled at me for leaving you behind, but there was more to it than that. He... he went looking for you, day and night, and I don’t think he slept a wink until Evan got that message from Sark telling us where you were, and even then, I don’t think he stopped worrying about you. He drank a lot, and he was just in a really bad state, and I think the whole thing affected him more than you realise.”

“He was convinced that something bad was happening to you that entire time you were gone, and I don’t think any of us expected you to come back to us in one piece, and if he’s overprotective  _now_ , I can’t imagine what he would be like if something bad HAD have happened to you. I think that he blamed himself for everything that happened, and now he just wants to ensure that nothing bad happens to you again.”

“ _Nobody_  thinks you’re weak, Mini, and I doubt Tyler does too. He’s just really scared of losing you,” Brock finished with a feeble smile, and began reassuringly rubbing his back, but there was still something that Mini didn’t quite understand.

“But why isn’t he this protective of the rest of you then?” he asked, brow furrowing in confusion. “Like, he doesn’t want to lose any of you either, but I don’t see him following you around, or picking fights with Evan to make sure Brian doesn’t get killed...”

Brock didn’t answer straight away, and his pause caused Mini to look up at him, and he was surprised to see Brock beaming knowingly at him. “I think... I think it’s best if I leave you to figure that out on your own,” he said, and got up off the bed, leaving Mini to sit by himself with more questions than answers.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, thoroughly confused, and tried raking his brain for the answer to his own question but couldn’t figure it out. What on earth was Brock talking about? Had he missed something?

“It means that you’ll understand one day. Or at least, I hope you do. I’m rooting for you, buddy,” Brock told him, and patted him on the shoulder before heading for the door. He unlocked it and opened it, but before he stepped out, he turned back and added “Evan wanted me to tell you that you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to, and to shout if you need anything,” he nodded.

With that, Brock was gone, and Mini was left alone again with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was intense. 
> 
> I'm a few days later than what I would've liked, but I'm getting closer to that fortnightly schedule I'm aiming towards, so hopefully I'll be able to get my act together soon and start updating regularly again! <3
> 
> But hey! We hit 2k hits! <33 Tyvm for all of your support, it means a lot that so many people seem to like and enjoy this silly story of mine, and all of the love is very appreciated! You're the best <3


	14. Don't be a Hero

It had been two days since their argument, and Mini had yet to talk to Tyler about what happened between them. He wasn’t sure he wanted to, as every time they had even so much as made eye contact in the past few days, he’d feel a sharp pang in his chest and all the hurt feelings that struck him during their argument would come flooding back. He’d feel sick to the stomach as he remembered everything he said and everything he implied, and sometimes would find it difficult to even look at him nevermind speak to him. He knew they needed to talk it out, otherwise things would never get better between them, but he wasn’t quite ready to do that yet.

Hence why he’d opted to stay with Evan for a few days. Mini wasn’t sure he could live with the awkward tension that was sure to surround them back at their own place, even if Brock was still living there with them. He needed his space from him for a little while, needed to distance himself from Tyler while he sorted out his feelings and healed a little. Evan offered to let him live with him for a few days while they sorted their problems out, and Mini didn’t say ‘no’, deciding that he wasn’t going to live with Tyler again until he apologised to him for what he had said.

Maybe his insistence to stay with Evan was part of the reason why they hadn’t made up yet, as not only was Mini still mad at Tyler, but Tyler was still mad at Evan. Tyler still blamed him for the incident with the cop and was giving him the cold shoulder, refusing to visit his apartment nearly as often as he did before they had fallen out. It was hard for Tyler to find the time to talk to Mini, when it seemed that he was trying his best to avoid Evan, and the few times that Tyler _did_ try to speak to him, Mini turned him away because the pain in his chest was just too great, and he couldn’t bear to face him knowing what Tyler really thought of him.

It certainly didn’t help that the few times that Tyler _was_ over at Evan’s apartment, Mini would catch him staring at him. Every time he so much as glanced in his direction, he’d discover Tyler watching him, lost in thought up until the moment he’d realise he’d been caught in the act, and then he’d shoot Mini a feeble, almost apologetic smile. He could tell that Tyler hated this, hated that they weren’t on speaking terms and that it was tearing him apart, but he respected Mini’s need for some space and didn’t approach him, no matter how much he desperately wanted to.

Even after everything that happened, Tyler still cared so much for him, and Mini wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He was still mad at him for saying that he needed a babysitter, and that he was too weak to take care of himself, and all those words and implications still stung even days later.

But in spite of all of that, Mini still found himself missing him. He missed falling asleep with Tyler in the comfort of his warm arms and familiar calming scent, and missed waking up to the sweet pancakes Tyler always made for breakfast, always baked to absolute perfection. He missed staying up to the early hours of the morning laughing and joking with him on their couch until he was out of breath and his chest hurt, trading the same dumb stories and giggling over inside jokes that only they could understand. He missed his best friend and he hated that they were fighting, but not as much as he hated the things Tyler said about him.

He felt betrayed, and that wasn’t something that he could easily get over. He wanted things to be alright between them again, but he couldn’t bring himself to make up with Tyler while his feelings still hurt as much as they did. He recognised the fact that they would never be able to fix their broken relationship if he continued to refuse to talk to him, but his heart still hurt far too much for him to do that just yet. He needed his space for a little while longer, and then _and only then_ , could they work things out.

But before they had a chance to make up, Evan got a call from Lui alerting them to the fact that an attack chopper was on its way to Sandy Shores Airfield at that second, and that if they still wanted to steal one for the bank heist, this was their window to get one. So in spite of all the infighting, they had no choice but to set all their problems aside for the moment, and begrudgingly work together, as they may never have another chance to steal the helicopter they needed after this.

There wasn’t a single doubt in Mini’s mind that this mission was going to be difficult. The odds were stacked against them, and it would be a miracle if they all came out alive. They didn’t have much of a plan as there wasn’t enough time to come up with one, and so they were heading to the airfield ill prepared. That, combined with the fact that Tyler was still pissed at Evan and wasn’t on any real speaking terms with Mini, and the fact that they only had a fragile amount of trust built with the other gang and hadn’t learned how to properly work together just yet, meant they were setting themselves up for disaster.

Maybe it was just him being pessimistic as always, but Mini couldn’t shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He just didn’t know _what_.

As if he was reading his mind, Scotty spoke up. “I have a bad feeling about this,” he said with unease from Mini’s left, fingers drumming nervously on the car door as he stared out at the dull scenery quickly passing them by.

“We’ll be fine, Fourzer0,” Nogla reassured him from Mini’s right, paper bag on his head rustling as he turned to peer over at him over the top of Mini’s head. “We haven’t had a casualty yet, and we’re not going to have one now, not when we have a medic on our side!” he pointed out, lightly patting Mini on the knee as he spoke of him.

Mini wasn’t sure how he felt about the amount of confidence Nogla seemed to have in him, especially considering the very little medical expertise he actually had, but he wasn’t about to tell them that, not when he was being used as a reason not to panic. “Yeah, I’ve got you. Don’t worry,” Mini tried to reassure him, smiling at him from behind his own mask in spite of the fact that he knew Scotty couldn’t see it.

“Yeah, and I don’t mean to doubt your abilities or anything, but I just… I don’t know. I just don’t feel right about this,” Scotty admitted, lightly shaking his head. “I just feel like something bad is going to happen today. I don’t even know why, I just do.”

“…What kind of things?” Brian asked curiously from the driver’s seat of the car, an edge of concern in his voice, but his eyes remained fixed on the road in front of them and the other stolen car they were following. Tyler was driving in front of them with directions being fed to him by Lui, and Mini wondered what they were talking about in their vehicle, and whether or not Tyler was thinking of him too.

Scotty shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have. It might not even be anything,” he chuckled nervously. “Just forget about it,” he added quickly, seemingly embarrassed that his offhanded comment had gotten so much attention.

“Well nothing bad will happen if we all just stick to the plan,” Evan piped up with, sitting in the passenger seat as always. “We’ll all be fine as long as no one does anything stupid,” he added, unconsciously rubbing his burnt arm as he spoke, remembering what happened to them the last time one of them had improvised.

“Yeah, because we’re all known for thinking things through…” Mini muttered to himself, earning himself an indignant look from Evan, and he didn’t speak again after that.

The car quickly descended into silence once again, a tense air drowning them as they all lost themselves in their own thoughts and concerns. Mini’s mind drifted to Tyler as it always seemed to, and he frowned to himself as he wondered what would happen to them if something _were_ to go wrong, and one of them did get seriously hurt or worse.

Right off the bat, Mini decided that he definitely did not want to die without making up with Tyler. He would never be able to forgive himself if something bad were to happen to either of them while they weren’t on speaking terms, and even though he couldn’t remember what the last words he spoke to Tyler _were_ , he knew they weren’t the last words he wanted to be said between them. He didn’t want their last significant interaction to be an argument or awkward small talk. That’s not how he wanted to be remembered, nor was it how he wanted to remember Tyler.

He wanted to remember him as his best friend, not as the man who thought he was weak. He wanted to remember the Tyler who’d always comfort him when he needed him to, the Tyler that held him close and rubbed his back and always knew what to say to make him feel better. He wanted to remember the Tyler that made him laugh until he cried, the Tyler he had deep talks with at three in the morning when neither of them could sleep, the Tyler he felt that he could share anything with without judgement but with understanding.

Mini wanted his best friend back, and he wished that Tyler had never said those things about him, had never tainted his memories of him. He wanted their friendship back, and didn’t want to lose Tyler until everything could be made right between them (not that he wanted to lose Tyler _at all_. They may be fighting, but he was still far too important to him and Mini would rather die than let something bad happen to him).

He just hoped they’d both survive this suicide mission long enough to make up.

Evan’s phone suddenly rang, sharply pulling him out of his thoughts as the generic ringtone cut through the thick silence. Evan wasted no time in answering it, and judging by his short and curt replies, it must be Brock on the other end calling from the other car. The conversation didn’t last long, and with a brief goodbye and a wish of good luck, he had hung up the phone again and slid it back into his pocket.

“We’ll be pulling up to the airfield in about ten minutes, so get ready,” he told them, before pulling out his gun and double checking whether or not it was fully loaded.

Mini could feel his heart rate begin to quicken as their mission loomed ever closer. He copied Evan’s motions and checked his own weapon, and then patted himself down to make sure he had sufficient ammo on him, and that the medkit was fixed firmly to his belt. He reminded himself of their half baked plan over and over again, mentally running through all of the different steps they needed to take to ensure success, and began mentally preparing himself for what they were about to do. If they just stick to the plan, then everything would be fine, and they’d have nothing to worry about.

Or so they thought.

Those ten minutes passed by too fast for Mini’s liking, and when the roof of the hangar came into view, he began to fill with dread. As Brian drove them closer and closer to their destination, he felt as if he was being driven closer and closer towards death, and he took a deep breath to keep himself calm.

It wasn’t until they had turned onto the landing strip that they noticed there was twice as many men with guns than what they were expecting. They knew it was unlikely that the helicopter would land without some protection from those who owned it, but none of them could have possibly known that they’d be driving right into the middle of a meeting between two of the more established gangs that ran Los Santos. Armed goons in black balaclavas were littered all over the airfield, and as soon as their cars rolled into their view, they were hit with heavy suspicion and the barrels of many of their guns were tentatively pointed in their direction.

“Oh fuck,” Scotty muttered under his breath, voicing the very words that Mini was currently chanting in his head, and the knowledge that he was just as panicked as he was, did not reassure him in the slightest.

“ _Vanoss, what the fuck are we going to do_?!” Brian hissed, coming to a slow halt behind the car they’d been following all day. Its passengers made no move to exit their vehicle as they seemed to be waiting to see what they were going to do, as evidenced by how Brock and Basically both turned around in the backseat to look at Evan through the rear view window. “I don’t think you’ll be able to talk our way out of this one. You’re no fucking Sark.”

Evan was uncharacteristically tense as he looked out of Brian’s window at the hangar and the helicopter and all of the guys surrounding it, his gaze cold and calculating as the cogs in his brain whirred as a new plan formulated, and he pulled out his phone and dialled a number. “...Moo, put me on speaker,” he ordered as soon as Brock answered, and then launched into describing their new plan of action.

“This is a slight set back, but if we’re careful and watch each other’s backs, we should be good. The team who was in charge of stealing the helicopter itself will carry on as planned, and remember: Lui is the only one who knows how to pilot that thing so protecting him is your number one priority. And Lui? Take off and fly back to the warehouse as soon as you can, and don’t turn back for anything. Since Moo and Mini are the only ones skilled enough to tend to a bullet wound, they’ll both stay back here and provide medical support to anyone who needs it. Everyone else, spread out, take cover, and fire at will. Fall back and retreat if you get shot, and as soon as the chopper leaves, get your asses back to the getaway vehicles and get the fuck out. Shake off anyone who might be following you, and we’ll all meet up at the warehouse we’re hiding the helicopter in. Understood?”

Everyone in the car nodded, and Mini assumed that similar sounds of affirmation came through Evan’s phone as he gave a curt nod and wished them luck before hanging up and slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Terroriser? Stay here and keep an eye on Moo and Mini,” Evan asked, and Mini’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Why? We can take care of ourselves! Did Wildcat put you up to this?” he accused with a pout. Wasn’t Evan the one who was supposed to have believed in him?

“No, I just think you should have someone defending the two of you while you’re patching us up, unless you’re trying to tell me that you’re able to fire a gun and bandage a bullet wound, all at the same time?” Evan asked and looked back at him, and Mini sank a little in his seat when he realised he was right. “Besides, Wildcat isn’t the only one who wants you to be safe, and it would do you good to remember that,” he added, and patted him on the knee. “So stay back here like I told you to, and don’t go running head first into danger. Don’t be a hero, Mini, your safety should always come first, and that goes for the rest of you too. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Nogla replied, oddly chipper considering what they were about to do, but his cheery disposition helped build up his confidence just a little, even if he could hear Scotty scoff at Nogla’s words and likely rolled his eyes too.

“Good. Now let’s get this over with,” Evan said, and opened his door and finally climbed out of the car.

As soon as Evan stepped out of the car, the rest of their group followed suit. Mini piled out after Scotty, and Brian and Nogla were quick to loop around the car to join them on their side. Mini hazarded a glance to the rest of the group at the other car and found them in a similar position, half of them with their gaze fixed ahead at the hangar, while the others nervously glanced at Evan out of the corner of their eyes, anxiously waiting for orders. Tyler easily towered over everyone he was lined up next to, and Mini took a moment to ogle his pig mask, the worry that this could be the last time he ever sees it creeping up on him. He gulped and diverted his attention forwards, resolving to talk to him when this was all over.

More goons started pointing guns in their direction, and were understandably suspicious and unnerved by their row of masked men that were all armed to the teeth and hiding behind their cars. They made no move to shoot and were either waiting for orders from their higher ups or waiting for them to make a move first, and Mini fidgeted with his gun in his hand as the tense standoff between them dragged on for an uncomfortable length of time. No one was saying anything, and at this point, he was afraid to even breathe, much less make a noise out of fear that he’d provoke someone into firing in their direction.

It was Evan, standing all stoic and intimidating, who made the first move.

“Duck.”

They didn’t need to be told twice and immediately dropped to the ground at his word, the gunshots he fired echoing loudly across the desolate airfield, and Mini watched through the windows of the car as the body he fired at fell to the ground.

After that, things got manic.

With one of their men bleeding out on the ground, his allies were quick to retaliate. Evan just about had time to crouch onto the ground next to them and avoid the onslaught of bullets that was suddenly fired in their direction. Bullets pinged off the car doors, and the windows shattered causing shards of glass to rain down upon them, but Mini was lucky in that his mask and suit protected him. A few of the others weren’t so fortunate and hissed as the tiny fragments lodged in their skin.

Even though they were all in cover, their enemies didn’t stop shooting, keeping them suppressed behind the cars. “We need to get the fuck out of here,” Basically hissed to Evan who was crouched down beside him. “All it takes is one well thrown grenade and we’re all _fucked_.”

“If any of us duck out of cover, we’ll be gunned down in an instant,” Evan pointed out. “We need a distraction, something that will get them to stop firing long enough for us to move.”

“Well lucky for you, we’re good at distractions, right Delirious?” Basically told them, nudging his arm, provoking an almost evil chuckle out of him.

Delirious pulled up his slightly too big hoodie to reveal the four hidden grenades that were clipped to his belt, and Mini’s eyes widened. He had never seen a grenade this close before, at least outside of an Ammunation, and the fact that he was this close to several scared him. Grenades were dangerous, grenades were _messy_ , and they destroyed everything in their wake, and he did not want to be anywhere near one after the pin was pulled.

Delirious plucked one from his belt as he got into a better position to throw it, turning to face the car and just barely peeking out over the trunk. Without so much as a warning, he tugged out the safety pin and allowed it to fall to the ground and tossed the grenade into the open in one smooth practiced action, taking care not to throw it anywhere near the helicopter they were trying to steal, and definitely did _not_ want to destroy on accident.

The grenade soared through the air in a perfect arc, and the goons started running the second they spotted it gliding towards them. Evan screamed an order for them to scatter, to use this diversion to their advantage and spread out to get into better positions, and just as their allies jumped to their feet, the grenade hit the ground by the hanger in a single bounce, and exploded.

The BOOM was deafening, and Mini ducked his head and shut his eyes out of reflex to avoid the wave of shrapnel being hurled across the airfield. He couldn’t hear anything for a few minutes following the explosion as his ears were ringing, but he peered through the windows of the car to take in the aftermath.

One of the cars that the grenade had landed next to had blown up and was now overturned and scorched black, its engine on fire. Any one that happened to be within fifteen metres of the explosion were now lying still on the ground dead or close to it, and the air was already beginning to reek with the stench of gunpowder and blood.

Mini scanned the area carefully, counting each one of his friends twice, and breathed a sigh of relief once he was sure they were all okay. They were spread out all over the airfield, taking whatever cover they can behind abandoned cars and stray crates, and Mini watched with a frown as Tyler and Scotty ducked into the hangar out of sight. Only himself, Brock, and Brian were left by the cars now, just like Evan had planned, and a lot of the attention that was previously on them had been diverted away.

Brian had started firing over the hood of one of the cars, but he couldn’t hear the gunshots as his ears were _still_ ringing. Brock sidled up to him and turned to talk to him, but he couldn’t hear a single word he said, and Brock presumably couldn’t hear himself either as he quickly gave up with a shake of his head. He then lightly gripped the car and stared into the battlefield, before giving Mini a quick glance and reluctantly starting to fire his own weapon.

Picking up on the hint Brock was dropping him, Mini pulled out his own gun and took aim. The familiar feeling of dread slowly filled his stomach, just like it did on the roof of the convenience store when he shot that cop, and he swallowed hard. He was still overcome with guilt from his last kill, and he wasn’t sure he could handle shooting someone else so soon.

But, he supposed that unlike that cop, maybe these people deserved it. Maybe he’d be doing the city a favour by taking out a few gang members. Unlike the police, they were criminals, and maybe this fate was one they had been deserving for a long time. They were thieves, murderers, liars, and cheats, and a blight to society, and maybe he was doing a good thing by gunning them down.

Except he knew that wasn’t right. He was no better than the people who he was trying to dehumanise, and the mere fact that he was trying to rationalize why they deserved death more than him only exposed him as the terrible person he was growing to be. Mini felt sick to the stomach, suddenly overcome with a feeling of self-loathing, guilt eating away at him from the inside out.

His hands were shaking, and he really didn’t want to do this, but what choice did he have? His friends were under suppressive fire and couldn’t get to the helicopter, not without risking a fatal bullet wound. No matter what his feelings on guns were, he couldn’t let them get shot. He couldn’t let them _die_.

‘ _It’s either them or us_ ,’ he reminded himself, similar words that Tyler comforted him with long ago echoing in his mind, words he whispered softly to him long before Mini found out that Tyler thought he was incapable of protecting himself.

His grip on his gun tightened as he was suddenly filled with a new resolve. This was his chance to prove himself. This was his chance to show them all that Tyler was _wrong_ , that he was just as strong as everyone else and didn’t need someone to look after him. All he had to do was shoot down a few gang members, and he could show Tyler that he wasn’t weak, that he wasn’t some damsel in distress that needed his knight in shining armor to protect him. He could show Tyler that he was strong and capable and tough, and everything he loved about Tyler, and everything he wished Tyler would see in him.

All he had to do was fire a few bullets and hit a few targets.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Mini finally pointed his gun at a few bad guys and pulled the trigger, firing his AK-47 just like Tyler had taught him to. He didn’t know whether the people he was shooting at were dying or simply ducking to avoid getting shot, but Mini felt that he was better off not knowing. He already felt a pang in his chest every time someone he fired at fell away behind cover and disappeared from sight, he didn’t need the knowledge that he might have killed them to make him feel _worse_.

It wasn’t long after that until he spotted another grenade soar through the air towards the same place that the last one went off, and Mini was quick to drop his gun, grab Brock and Brian on either side of him, and pulled them down to the ground before it exploded.

The blast was no bigger than the last one, and the familiar ringing in his ears returned once again. Mini bounced back quicker from this one and popped his head up over the cars, scouring the area for damages. The grenade had bounced closer to the hangar this time, and half of the building had collapsed in on itself and was quickly catching fire. More bodies than before littered the ground in a sickening sight that he would never be able to erase from his memory, and he could almost taste the stench of blood in the air.

Mini watched as Lui, Evan, and Basically had used this as their opportunity to make a dash for the helicopter. Seeing them run to make their escape, Brock also picked himself up off the ground and sprinted after them, Mini forgetting until that moment that Brock was also apart of the team to steal the chopper. Lui hopped into the pilot’s seat and Evan climbed in next to him, and soon as everyone was on board, he began to take off, the sound of the rotor whirring getting louder as Mini’s hearing slowly came back. Bullets ricocheted off the side as the gang shot at them in an attempt to stop them from stealing their aircraft, but the rest of their friends including Mini himself returned fire and covered them.

As soon as the helicopter was hovering in the air well above them, the opposing gangs gave up on firing and instead chose to dart towards their own vehicles to give chase. Their gang never stopped shooting at them, hoping their bullets would slow them down or prevent them from escaping completely, but their attempts were fruitless. The bullet ridden cars quickly sped out of the airfield and there was nothing more they could do to stop them.

“Do we follow them?” Mini asked Brian, staring down the road that the cars were disappearing down with a frown, the little black dot in the sky getting smaller and smaller as the helicopter flew away.

“I don’t know. Evan just said to get the fuck out as soon as the chopper is gone. He never mentioned anything about helping _them_ get away,” Brian shrugged. “But helicopters are faster than cars anyway, right? So they should have no problem getting away on their own.”

“True,” Mini hummed in agreement, and turned back to the now deserted airfield.

Corpses peppered the ground, and his stomach turned at the thought that they were the ones who put them there. He remembered the conversation that he had with Tyler the night after he had killed that cop, when Tyler had reassured him over and over again that he wasn’t a murderer, that he wasn’t a bad person, and he had to wonder if he would still argue those points after what happened today. He shot people down, just to prove that he could, and if Tyler didn’t find that as despicable as he did, then he might just have to start questioning Tyler’s morality as well.

The hangar was left in a terrible state. The right wall had collapsed and the roof had caved in on top of it, and the explosion of the grenade had caused it to catch fire. Thick black smoke was billowing into the sky and Mini wouldn’t be surprised if it could be seen from miles away, and it was only a matter of time before the police and fire department caught sight of it and came to investigate.

“ _Shit_ ,” Brian muttered to himself, and Mini quickly whipped around to look at him, eyes wide and worried that something bad must have happened. “Fuck, I just realised that I missed the PERFECT opportunity to do my Arnie impression! The fucking chopper was _right there_ in front of me, I can’t believe it! FUCK!”

Mini wasn’t sure whether he should feel relieved or annoyed that all that was bothering Brian was a missed joke,  but before he could chastise him for worrying him like that, he heard a genuine shout of distress.

“FUCKING LET ME GO OF ME!” Delirious shouted at the top of his lungs, and Mini and Brian turned towards the sound of the scream to see Nogla holding tightly onto a struggling Delirious, who was trying his hardest to squirm out out of his grip. Nogla was using his much taller height to his advantage and held him a few inches off the ground, but that didn’t stop Delirious from kicking and screaming as he tried to weasel his way out of his arms.

Mini glanced at Brian who seemed as equally confused as he was, and they got up from their crouched positions behind their cars and jogged over to where they were standing. “What’s going on?” Mini asked, his sudden presence having no effect on the tantrum that Delirious was currently throwing.

“Fourzer0 is still in the hangar and Nogla won’t let me find him!” Delirious explained, the panic and concern clear in his voice as he continued to squirm. “He could fucking die in there and Nogla won’t let me save him!”

“You got shot, Delirious. There’s nothing you can do with only one good arm,” Nogla tried to reason with him, surprisingly calm given the situation, but an edge of worry was still clearly heard in his voice. “Besides, it’s too fucking dangerous to run into a burning building like that, especially one that has fucking gas tanks everywhere! I’m not letting you run to your death! Fourzer0 will come out on his own, have a little faith in him.”

“He would have come out by now Nogla! Something’s wrong, _we have to help him_ ,” his voice was pained and strangled, and he tried harder than ever to break himself free of Nogla’s vice like grip, but it was of no use.

“Remember what Vanoss said? Don’t do anything stup-”

“FUCK Vanoss! He’s not the boss of us! Let go of me, we need to- we need to help him! Nogla PLEASE! We need to help him or he’ll- _or he’ll_ …” Delirious trailed off, and his voice sounded so broken, as if he were crying beneath that mask of his.

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to him either, but I can’t risk losing you too, especially when you’re already injured enough. Let’s just wait it out, he’ll appear any second now, just you wait,” Nogla whispered softly, remaining optimistic for no other reason that because he felt like he had to be, not wanting to accept any reality where his friend didn’t limp out of that building safe and sound.

Mini frowned sympathetically, his own heart breaking for them, and he desperately wished that Scotty was okay, for their sake. He didn’t know him very well, but he still hoped that nothing had had happened to him in there. He was about to reach for the medkit on his belt so he could treat the bullet wound on Delirious’ arm when the realisation that someone was unaccounted for, someone very important to him, and he froze.

Tyler.

_Where the fuck was Tyler?!_

The last he saw of him, he was leading Scotty into the hangar, and he couldn’t recall seeing him leave. He didn’t get on the helicopter with the others, and he wasn’t standing here with them now, nor could he be spotted anywhere else on the airfield. That meant that he had to be in the hangar with Scotty, the burning hangar that was just _barely_ standing upright and was at risk of collapsing at any moment, with or without him in it.

Mini could feel his heart rate and his breathing begin to pick up as he started to panic. Tyler could die in there. Tyler could _already_ be dying in there. The most important person to him in the whole world was missing and likely wounded in a burning building, and there was a chance that he wouldn’t make it out alive if he didn’t do something to help him.

It didn’t matter that they weren’t currently on speaking terms, or that he was still a little mad at him. None of that mattered when there was the chance that he could lose him forever, the chance that he may never get to make up with him weighed heavy on his conscience, and he refused to let that happen. He wasn’t going to stand back and let his best friend die.

Without thinking twice about it, Mini started to run towards the hangar, but he didn’t get far before Brian gripped onto his wrist and stopped him. “What the fuck are you doing?!” he hissed. “Didn’t we _just_ decide that nobody was running in there?!”

“Ty-... _Wildcat_ is in there! I have to help him!” Mini pleaded, and Brian froze once the realisation that Tyler was in the hangar as well hit him. “Please let me do this. I’d let you go if Moo was the one in there,” he added, looking him in the eye. He wasn’t entirely sure that he was being truthful, but in that moment, he didn’t care. He needed Brian to let go of him, and he was willing to say and do anything to convince him to let him go. “ _Please_.”

Shoulders sinking sympathetically, Brian wordlessly released his grip on him, and Mini wasted no time in dashing towards the hangar as fast as he could. He took note of the gas tank next to the building that was currently still intact, but with the flames spreading quickly and rapidly approaching it, he knew that it wouldn’t be long until it caught fire as well and exploded. He needed to find Tyler and Scotty too and get out as quickly as possible, or all three of them could lose their lives.

The inside of the hangar was stuffy and warm and filled with a thick smoke that made it difficult to see and breathe, especially with his mask on. Against his better judgement, Mini tugged it off and breathed in a large gulp of air, only to immediately choke on the fumes. He pulled his shirt up over his mouth as his eyes began to water, and he crouched lower to the ground as he moved in an attempt to get below the smoke so he could breathe less of it in.

“Wildcat?!” he called out as he edged further into the building, frantically looking around for any sign of him. “ _Wildcat_?!” he repeated, much louder the second time when he didn’t get a response, and every second that he didn’t get a reply set Mini further on edge as he tried his hardest not to panic. “WILDCAT?!”

He carefully scoured every last inch of the hangar, paying close attention to the debris of the fallen wall and collapsed roof, desperately hoping Tyler wasn’t underneath it. But he couldn’t find him anywhere, and he wasn’t responding, and his hope was beginning to dwindle, so him lying unconscious or dead beneath all of that rubble was looking more and more likely by the second. “WILDCAT?!” Mini screamed again, his dry throat hurting and he coughed, but that didn’t stop him from calling out again. “ _WILDCAT_?!”

“Mini…?” a soft voice replied, and Mini’s heart stopped.

“Fourzer0?!” he called back, realizing that it wasn’t Tyler who had heard him, but knew that wherever Scotty was, then chances were Tyler wasn’t far away.

“M-Mini…!”

Following the sound of his voice and the coughing fit Scotty had fallen into, Mini began making his way towards the far right corner of the hangar. His heart was beating fast and his nerves were frayed, and he couldn’t make it to his side fast enough. They were depending on him to help them, and he couldn’t let them down, no matter how much fire and fallen debris stood in his path.

But nothing could’ve prepared him for the sight he was met with when he finally stumbled upon him.

Scotty had propped himself up against a support beam, head lightly resting against the wooden pillar, a steel pipe impaled in his stomach. A thick streak of blood lead to his body from a spot on the floor a few feet away, showing Mini that he’d likely dragged himself across the dusty ground. His white shirt was stained scarlet, and every breath he took looked more painful than the last. He had pulled off his mask and lightly gripped it in his hand, and for the first time ever, Mini saw his face. His expression was twisted painfully, his eyes shut, and he was glistening with sweat from being in a scorching building for so long.

Mini’s stomach churned at the sight, the foul stench of blood only making him feel worse, and it took all of his focus not to throw up then and there. But in spite of how sick he was feeling, he forced himself to step closer to him and dropped down onto the ground next to him. “ _Holy shit_ …” he breathed, dropping his own mask so he could help him, but wasn’t sure what part of him was safe to touch without making his condition worse. “We’ll- We’ll get you out of here, hang in there. You’ll- You’ll be okay,” he reassured him, even though he had the sinking feeling that there wasn’t anything they’d be able to do for him.

“M-Mini…” Scotty stuttered, reaching out to lightly tug at his sleeve, his grip scarily weak. “You have to… You have to do something for me…” he said, turning his head towards him and looking up at him with sad blue eyes. “You have to… to tell Marcel to go without me-” he cut himself when he started choking again, and Mini noticed that he was coughing up blood, and he cringed.

“You can tell him yourself when we get out of here-”

“ _No,_ ” he said harshly. “I’m not… this is it for me, Mini. I can feel it. I don’t think I’m going to… I don’t think I’ll last much longer so… so you _have_ to do this for me. You _have_ to tell him to go without me, _please_. Promise me you’ll tell him.... promise me....” His voice was getting softer as he spoke and his eyes could no longer focus on anything, and then they shut altogether.

“I promise, but I don’t know who that is,” Mini told him, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze, noting how cold and clammy his hands felt in spite of the temperature of the hangar. “Fourzer0…?” he voiced when Scotty didn’t reply, his heart dropping when his head slumped to the side, and he stopped breathing. “Fourzer0! Scotty!” he called his name, and lightly slapped his cheeks to try and get him to wake up and drift back into consciousness, but it was of no use.

He was gone.

Mini sat back, defeated, shoulders falling as he stared at his unmoving body. The fact that Scotty had just died in front of him hadn’t quite set in, and he half expected him to suddenly take a breath and sit up as if nothing was wrong, and he was merely playing a joke on him, but he didn’t move an inch. His fingers had stopped twitching, and his chest was no longer slowly rising and falling as he breathed. He sat completely still, inanimate, lifeless, never to move again.

As much as he wanted to stay and grieve him, he didn’t have the time to give him the mourning he deserved. Mini still had to find Tyler and get out before the fire spread any more or the rest of the building collapsed in on him. So he slowly pulled himself up off the ground and frowned down at Scotty with a heavy heart for a moment, his eyes drifting to the balaclava in his hands, and he made the snap decision to grab and stuff it into his pockets to give to his friends later. He may not be able to bring Scotty back to them, but at least he wouldn’t return to them empty handed.

From where he stood at Scotty’s side, Mini looked around the surrounding area. If Scotty was here, then Tyler had to be close, since they likely would have stuck together and covered each other’s backs once they disappeared into the hangar together where the rest of their ragtag team couldn’t see them. “Wildcat?” he called out again for the umpteenth time, but this time received a response in the form of a pained groan.

“Tyler?!” he replied with more urgency and frantically looked around for him, examining the area with more scrutiny than before, now that he knew Tyler was nearby and was thankfully _still alive_.

If it weren’t for a twitch of Tyler’s fingers that he caught out of the corner of his eye, then Mini would have missed him. Tyler was hiding beside part of the wall that was still standing, a large sheet of tin obstructing him from view. Only his hand peeked out, still loosely gripping the shotgun he was so fond of, and Mini rushed towards him the second he spotted him.

“Tyler!” he exclaimed, and grabbed the sheet metal and lifted it off of him slowly and carefully, worried that he’d hurt him if he moved too much. As soon as he was sure that the tin wasn’t causing him any pain, Mini tossed it aside, and dropped down onto his knees next to him.

Tyler lay face down on the ground, and unlike Scotty, didn’t seem to have any visible injuries aside from the steel girder crushing his leg. “Tyler...?” Mini asked hesitantly, unsure if he was conscious and lightly touched his shoulder, only to immediately yank his hand back when Tyler’s whole body twitched beneath his fingers, terrified that he might have hurt him.

Tyler groaned again, and turned his head to face him, looking up at him behind his mask. “Mini…?” he mumbled, his voice hoarse, and he tried to roll onto his side, only to hiss in pain and fall back onto his chest again.

“Shit Tyler, are you okay?” Mini asked concerned, and gave him another once over. He couldn’t see any bullet wounds which was a relief, but guessed that he must be bruising heavily underneath his shirt, and possibly had a broken rib on top of that, something Mini knew he wasn’t qualified to take care of.

“...I’ve been better,” Tyler muttered as Mini helped him to slowly flip over, and then into a sitting position, mindful of the leg that was still pinned underneath the girder. “Why is there smoke...?! Fuck, is the building on fire?!”

“Yeah, and it’s going to collapse any minute, so we need to get the fuck out of here,” Mini told him, and crawled over to the girder to try and lift it off of him. He slipped his fingers underneath it and straightened his back, and tried to hoist it upwards but it barely budged. “ _Fuck_ ,” he muttered to himself, before giving it a second attempt with similar results. The girder was the heaviest thing Mini had ever tried to pick up, but he needed to do it and fast if he wanted to save him.

“Mini, that thing is way too fucking heavy for one person to move,” Tyler commented, watching with a frown as Mini continued to try to lift the girder, wincing and tensing up in pain every time he let go of it and the pressure was suddenly applied back on his leg again.

“ _Fucking help me lift it then_ ,” Mini hissed as he tried and tried again, determined to free Tyler, and point blank _refusing_ to leave him behind. “I’m not fucking leaving here without you so get the fuck over here and help me!”

Tyler shuffled closer to the girder and lightly gripped it, but made no immediate effort to move it, something that annoyed Mini greatly. Did he not realise the danger they were in?! “Mini, I’m really fucking sorry about-”

“Do you really want to talk about this _now_?!” Mini asked in disbelief.

Of all the times Tyler could have chosen to apologise to him, he decides to do it when their lives are at stake, and they’re racing against the clock. All Mini had wanted from him was an apology for everything he had said, everything he implied, and even though he desperately wanted to hear Tyler tell him that he was wrong about him, that he didn’t mean what he said and wished he could take it all back, now was not the time. They needed to get out of the hangar as soon as possible, and anything Tyler felt he had to say to him could wait until they were safe.

“Yes! I need you to fucking know that I'm-”

“Just fucking tell me later!” Mini snapped, exasperated. “I don’t want to lose you just because you wouldn’t shut the fuck up and help me,” he added, turning and looking into the eyes of the pig mask, hoping his words would get through to him. “So please fucking help me, Tyler, because I’m not leaving here without you, and this is _not_ where I want it to end.”

Tyler stared at him for a brief moment as his pleas sank in, and Mini couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking in spite of his impatience, heart beating hard against his chest. “...Lift on the count of three,” he said at last, turning his attention back to the girder, and Mini felt relief flutter inside him now that they were _finally_ doing something to get him out of the burning hangar.

With both of them channelling all of their energy into hoisting the steel girder together, they managed to lift it the few inches off the ground they needed, and Tyler wasted no time in yanking his leg out from underneath it. As soon as he was free, they let go of the heavy object and it hit the ground with a clatter, and Mini noted that his trouser leg was stained with blood, his foot was hanging limp, and there was no way he was going to be able to walk on it.

Wordlessly Mini climbed to his feet, and offered a hand to Tyler and helped him up, and Tyler winced in pain when he stood on his injured leg for a second. “I’ve got you,” Mini said softly, wrapping Tyler’s arm around his shoulders and slinking his own arm around his waist, allowing him to put his some of his weight on him and use him as a makeshift crutch as they made their way out.

The fire had spread drastically since Mini had entered the hangar, and they had great difficulty dodging and weaving through the flames as they hobbled towards the entrance. They passed Scotty’s body, at which Mini promised he’d explain to Tyler later when asked what happened, and they carefully but quickly stepped over pieces of fallen debris and manouvered through the building as quickly as they could possibly manage.

The sunlight was blinding after being in the dark, smokey hangar for so long, but the fresh air was welcome and Mini found himself gulping it in the second they stepped outside. Brian, Nogla, and Delirious were still stood where he had left them, and were watching them closely as they stumbled towards them. He could see Delirious and Nogla’s shoulders visibly slump when they realised that Scotty wasn’t with them, and Mini couldn’t help but feel guilty that he couldn’t save him too.

Just when Mini had thought they were safe, a loud explosion went off behind them, the force easily knocking them off their feet and launching them forward.

The last thing Mini could remember was his head hitting the ground hard, and everything went black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'How long can someone survive after getting impaled?' was definitely one of the stranger things I've googled for this fic. But anyway, rip Scotty, chapter 8 to chapter 14. You shall be missed ♥
> 
> As always, sorry for the wait between chapters! I've been super stressed lately and real life has been beating me down to the point that it's hard to motivate myself to get out of bed most days, so finding the motivation to sit down and write sometimes has been difficult. I'm going to be moving from Ireland to France p soon so trying to get myself organized for that has been hard and stressful (especially considering my French is very limited...), so please bare with me for the next couple of months or so. These two-three week long breaks between updates will probably be the regular until I get settled in by late October/early November at the earliest, and I'm afraid there's nothing much I can do about that :(
> 
> But if you want updates on how I'm doing or anything else I might be up to, you can hit me up on Tumblr: http://brocksnuckel.tumblr.com/ I'm usually up for talking about anything, so feel free to send me a message if you'd like :) <3
> 
> And lastly, tyvm for all the comments, kudos, messages etc. It means a whole lot to me that you're all enjoying this story so much, and I love you to pieces <33


	15. Play Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering how long it has been since I last updated, I recommend reading or at least skimming the last two chapters to remind yourself what happened if you don't remember, because the entirety of this chapter deals with what happened in those two parts. If you don’t want to do that, I'll surmise it briefly for you now:
> 
> Basically what happened last time was Mini and Tyler got into fight because Tyler said he needed a babysitter to look after him during an argument with Evan, and implied that he was weak and couldn't look after himself. Mini was offended and hurt, and they haven't been on speaking terms since. Some time after, Evan dragged all of them out on a mission to steal a helicopter from a remote airfield. They got into a shootout with the gang which lead to an explosion that caused the hangar to collapse in on itself. While they managed to steal the helicopter (or so it seems), Scotty and Tyler got trapped in the burning hangar, and Scotty died after he got impaled in the stomach by a steel pipe. Tyler's leg was crushed beneath some debris, but Mini pulled him out and as they left the hangar, there was a gas explosion that threw them forward, and Mini got knocked out after his head hit a rock on the ground. That's where the last chapter ended, and this chapter picks up directly after that. 
> 
> Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy <3 (Happy Valentine's Day?)

The first thing that Mini noticed as he slowly regained consciousness was that he was moving. He was lying down somewhere soft, somewhere much more comfortable than the hard ground he vaguely remembered passing out on, but his legs were hung uncomfortably off the edge of his makeshift bed, and were bent at the knees so that his feet were loosely sat on the floor. He could feel gentle vibrations underneath him, and he was slightly jostled around as his makeshift bed moved, and once it clicked that the low hum he could hear in the background was an engine, he realised that he must be in a car.  

His head was pounding, one spot on his forehead in particular, and with a light groan, he reached up to poke at the forming bump, only to hiss at the sharp pain he inflicted on himself. His head and the tips of his fingers were sticky, and he frowned, realising that he must have banged his head hard enough to split it open and cause him to bleed. 

“Don’t touch it, dumbass, or you’ll make it worse,” Tyler said from somewhere above his head, trying to keep his voice firm, but failed as the caring softness he was trying to hide still slipped through. He lightly grabbed Mini’s fingers to tug them away from his wound, and he gave his hand a small squeeze to reassure him that everything was okay.

It wasn’t until then that Mini finally opened his eyes, only to immediately flinch and shut them tightly again when he was blinded by the sunlight. It took him a moment to slowly open his eyes again, taking his time to adjust to the bright light, and once the dots had subsided and he could see clearly again, he looked around and slowly took in his surroundings. 

He now knew for sure that he was in a car, and was currently lying down on the passenger seat, which had been reclined all the way back as far as it could go into the backseat to act as his makeshift bed. The interior of the car was not one that he recognised, which meant that Tyler and Brian who was currently driving must have stolen it while he was conked out. He could see the scenery of the outskirts of the city fly past his window from where he lay, and it wasn’t until he glanced behind him that he noticed that Tyler’s injured leg was propped up on the passenger seat next to him, and was hastily and almost carelessly wrapped in bandages by someone who clearly didn’t know what they were doing. 

His gaze travelled up his leg to Tyler himself, who he noticed had removed his pants so his wound could get tended to, and he was now only wearing his boxers, something Mini diligently chose to ignore as much as he possibly could. Tyler was sat in the middle of the backseat right next to Mini’s head, and was smiling fondly down at him in such a way that made his heart skip a beat, and he looked relieved, as if he had thought there was a chance that Mini wouldn’t wake up at all. He had taken off his mask and it lay abandoned next to him on the empty seat, and Mini suddenly remembered that he had dropped his own mask next to Scotty back in the hangar and forgot to collect it again in his haste to save Tyler. He quietly cursed his stupidity under his breath, and sincerely hoped that this was one mistake that wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass later.

“How’re you feeling?” Tyler asked, giving his hand another squeeze, not seeming to have any intention of letting go. 

“I’m okay,” Mini replied, returning the same smile that Tyler was looking at him with, his chest fluttering when he noticed Tyler’s grin grow ever so slightly at the simple gesture. “I’m more worried about you though. How’s the leg?” he asked, eyes drifting to the bloodied bandages next to him. 

“Peachy. I definitely don’t feel like an entire fucking building fell on me or anything,” he drawled in a lighthearted tone, and Mini couldn’t help but laugh, and Tyler’s expression softened. “Fucking hurts like hell, but I’ll get over it. I’m just glad  _ you’re _  okay,” he admitted, and Mini’s stomach flipped.

He missed this. He missed these pleasantries, missed these soft moments, and forgot what it was like to feel as though Tyler had deeply cared for him. Their fight had distorted his opinion of him so much these past few days that Mini had managed to convince himself that Tyler thought little of him, when that wasn’t true at all. It felt like it had been  _ so long _  since they interacted with each other in a way that made him feel  _ good _ , and not heartbroken or worthless, and even though Tyler’s implications that he was weak and unable to take care of himself still lingered in the back of his mind, he easily shoved those thoughts awayfor the time being to instead chose to bask in the moment of the first pleasant conversation they’ve had in forever.

“Alright,” Brian spoke up, and Mini’s attention snapped to the driver’s seat, effectively knocking him out of whatever embarrassingly loving gaze he was staring at Tyler with. “As nice as it is to hear that you two aren’t having a lover’s tiff any more, I just want to point out that we’re going to be reaching the hospital soon and it’s probably a bad idea for you two to go in there in your heist gear,” he reminded them. 

“We’re going to the hospital?” Mini asked surprised. He distinctly remembered them deciding a long time ago  _ not _  to go to the hospital for gang related injuries to ensure that the cops couldn’t use their medical history as evidence for their crimes, and he couldn’t understand why that didn’t seem to matter now.

“Yeah, Tyler’s leg is fucking wrecked and his rib might be broken, and not a single one of us is qualified enough to fix him so we don’t have much of a choice,” Brian explained, and Mini nodded in understanding, feeling a little twinge of guilt that there was nothing he could do to help. “But our main problem right now is that you two smell like you just ran out of a burning building, and are wearing clothes that known criminals wear which is suspicious as hell, so you need to put on the new shit I bought you so that nobody suspects anything,” he added, nodding his head towards the brightly coloured shopping bags at Mini’s feet. “Speaking of, you two probably need a cover story about what happened.”

“We’ll just tell them that Mini hit me with his car, it’ll be fine,” Tyler suggested with a dismissive wave, and Mini turned to look at him incredulously. 

“What?!” he exclaimed, offended that Tyler would imply that he’d  _ ever _  run him over, accidentally or not.

“Yeah, we’ll just tell them that I walked out in front of you and you weren’t paying attention and hit me, and the force caused you to bang your head on the steering wheel and knock yourself out,” Tyler explained in greater detail, and lightly shrugged. “Unless you’ve got a better idea?” he added, raising his eyebrow.

“No,” Mini muttered with a sigh, but couldn’t help the small smile that graced his features when he felt Tyler give his hand another tiny squeeze. 

As they were talking, the car began to slow down, and Brian turned down into a nondescript alleyway. “Why are we stopping?” Mini asked curiously as the car drifted to a halt, watching as Brian looked all around them and checked that there weren’t any security cameras recording them.

“You two need to change,” he told him, and once he was satisfied that they weren’t being watched, he grabbed the paper bags containing their new outfits and handed them to Mini.

“You want us to change in the car?” Mini asked as he took his bag and passed the other behind him, cheeks turning pink at the thought of stripping down in front of Tyler, and seeing Tyler strip down in front of him. 

He had already seen him shirtless, but that was before he had started crushing on him, and now the thought of watching him tug off his shirt made his heart beat a little faster. Not only that, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous and a little embarrassed to take his own clothes off in front of _  him _ . He wasn’t sure how he felt about Tyler seeing him partially naked, and he suddenly felt a little self conscious. 

“Where else would you change? We all live on the other side of the city, and even if we did drive that far, I sure as hell don’t fancy carrying that heavy bastard up several flights of stairs to our flats,” Brian said with a slight smirk, pointing a thumb back at Tyler behind him, who shot him a glare and a middle finger. “But don’t worry, Mini. I don’t plan on watching you change or anything. There’s only one person I want to see shirtless, and he’s not either of you fucks.”

“Fair enough,” Mini conceded, and finally sat up, flinching at the sharp pain that shot through his head as he moved. He paused for a moment to let the pain subside a little, before rifling through his bag to see what Brian had bought him.

On the top of the pile of clothes was a standard pair of denim jeans, not unlike the ones he usually wore. They looked to be about his size, maybe a little bigger, but nothing that a belt wouldn’t fix. He pulled them out to see what else lay hidden beneath them, and his shoulders slumped in indignation when he saw the design on the shirt. Beneath the jeans was a black t-shirt that was designed to look like a tuxedo with a red bow tie and a red rose printed on it, and Mini sighed.  _ Of course _  Brian would buy them something ridiculous. Why on earth did he ever expect otherwise?

“What the fuck is this shit?!” Tyler asked in annoyance as he pulled his outfit out of his bag, and Mini had to laugh when he saw what he was holding. In one hand, Tyler held the tiniest pair of white shorts Mini had ever seen, and in the other, held an obnoxious shirt that looked as if it was cut from an American flag, the stars and stripes covering the entirety of the torso.

“Well, if I was going to buy you lads clothes, then  _ of course _  I was going to have a little fun with it!” Brian said cheerfully, smirking at them both with a huge shit-eating grin, looking far too proud of himself for his little prank.

“You bought Mini a respectable pair of jeans, and bought me tiny ass fucking short shorts! What the fuck?!” Tyler exclaimed, looking up at Mini as if he had betrayed him somehow, and Mini could only shrug, still giggling at his obvious frustration. He wasn’t particularly fond of his own outfit, but at least it wasn’t as awful as Tyler’s.

“Well, I  _ had _  to buy you shorts because of your leg, and I couldn’t have bought you both shorts because then you’d  _ both _  look like fucking idiots, and that would only draw attention to you,” Brian shrugged, still smirking mercilessly at him. “But I really can’t wait to see you in those shorts, Tyler. You’re going to look so fucking stupid.”

“ _ Fuck you _ , I’m going to work them,” Tyler said, and then immediately took off his shirt with sudden determination, and Mini quickly whipped around to face forward, cheeks heating up. He decidedly did  _ not _  want to watch Tyler strip down (except he also  _ really did _ ), and he allowed him to have his privacy in the backseat while he changed in the front.

Mini pulled his shirt out of the bag and sharply tugged off the sales tags, before discarding them into the now empty paper bag. He shrugged off his coat jacket and stuffed it into the bag as well, and then loosened his tie and lifted it over his head, purposely keeping the knot so he wouldn’t have to tie it again later. He dropped it on top off his suit jacket, and then began unbuttoning his shirt with trembling hands. Nerves prickled underneath his skin as he was all too aware that Tyler was  _ right there _  behind him within touching distance, and the view of his bare back would be completely unobstructed for him, and he’d be able to see what he looked like shirtless.

But Mini wanted nothing more than to get this over with as soon as possible, so he tossed all caution into the wind and tugged his shirt off his shoulders, suddenly feeling very exposed. The cool air pouring out of the air conditioning unit hit his bare skin and he shivered a little, before folding his shirt and shoving it into the bag as well. He wasted no time in grabbing the t-shirt and pulling it down over his head, but not before he caught a glimpse of the rear view mirror, and he could have  _ sworn _  he spied Tyler watching him, but when he looked again, his attention was on the pair of shorts in his hands. 

The t-shirt was surprisingly comfortable and fit well, and he was half considering wearing the shirt again after this, but Mini wasn’t sure he’d be caught dead wearing it in public again, but had to concede that maybe it could be a nice shirt to wear to bed. Once he was satisfied with how it was sitting on his shoulders, he began unbuckling his belt and pulled it from the loops, then set it aside to put back once he’d switched to his new jeans. He kicked off his flip flops and unbuttoned his pants, and then did his best to tug them off in the limited leg room. 

He was down to his boxers at this point, and again could feel his nerves creeping up on him, but he shrugged them off and stuffed his suit trousers into the shopping bag as well, before quickly pulling on his jeans, accidentally elbowing Brian in the process. The jeans were a little long on his legs and a little loose at the waist, which was going to be annoying, but at least his belt would stop them from falling down to his ankles when he stands up.

“When you’re done, fucking help me put this piece of shit on. I can’t move my leg on my own so,” Tyler mumbled behind him, a little embarrassed that he had to ask for help getting dressed. 

“If you’re this useless putting your clothes on, then how the hell are you going to rob a bank?” Brian piped up as Mini slipped on his flip flops and buckled his belt, and he raised a good point. A broken leg would put Tyler out of commission for a while, as he certainly wouldn’t be able to do much on crutches or even a wheelchair, and even if he could, Mini wasn’t going to let him commit any sort of crime until he was healed anyway. 

“I’ll be fine in a few weeks, don’t worry about it,” Tyler shrugged, and tossed his shorts towards them. “Now shut the fuck up and help me put these on.”

The shorts hit Brian square in the shoulder and he frowned in annoyance as he grabbed them, looking disdainfully down at Tyler’s leg. “Ugh, you do it,” he groaned and tossed the shorts to Mini instead, who caught them as they hit his chest. “You two are weirdly close, and I don’t want to touch Tyler’s hairy fucking leg.”

“You’re lucky my leg is broken or I’d kick you,” Tyler shot back, glaring him down, but Brian merely waved off his empty threat with a smirk.

As those two bickered, Mini swallowed his unease and gently lifted Tyler’s injured leg into the leg of his shorts, mindful that he didn’t jostle him too much and hurt him further. His cheeks were ablaze as he pulled them up to his knee, which was just far enough for Tyler to reach them and finish putting them on himself, and Mini turned away again. He sincerely hoped that helping Tyler dress wasn’t going to become a common occurrence over the next few weeks, as he wasn’t sure his poor heart could handle that, but he reminded himself that Tyler was likely just as embarrassed as he was, but was much better at hiding it.

Now that they were both fully dressed, Brian restarted the car and pulled out of the alley, and they continued on their way towards the hospital. Not wanting to lie back down again, and not being able to adjust the passenger seat as Tyler’s leg was propped up on it, Mini instead slid into the backseat, having to climb over Tyler’s legs before he could settle into the empty seat on the other side of him. It didn’t occur to him until he noticed Tyler’s surprised expression that this was the first time they had sat this close to each other since before their fight. “Are you… not mad at me any more?” Tyler asked softly, the corners of his lips slowly turning up into a hopeful smile. 

That was a difficult question to answer, and if Mini was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure how he felt towards him right now. They were talking again like things were back to normal, and it made him realise just how much he missed Tyler, missed hanging out with him before their fight, and he desperately wanted to go back to that. But his words still stung, and he couldn’t go on pretending that they didn’t and everything was okay when it wasn’t, and he didn’t want to drop their entire argument without receiving a sincere apology first. 

“...Let’s talk about this later,” he replied after a moment, glancing at Brian in the seat in front of him in a silent gesture to convey to Tyler that he didn’t want to talk about this until they were alone. Tyler nodded, seemingly picking up on his point, but his smile was quick to fade away. 

After that, Mini immediately changed the subject before the air in the car got too awkward, and Brian explained to him what happened after he had blacked out. 

When Mini and Tyler limped out of the hangar and it exploded behind them with Scotty still inside, Brian swore that he could see Nogla’s and Delirious’ hearts snap in two. They were both frozen in shock as the weight of what happened to their friend sank in, and they were both so wrapped up in their heartbreak that they barely noticed Mini’s scarily still form on the ground and the frantic Tyler hovering above him trying to wake him up. Brian and Tyler tried everything to rouse him, from patting his cheeks to shaking his shoulders, and were constantly switching from begging him to wake up, and bickering with each other over what they should do. 

They were in an argument over whether or not CPR would help when Delirious’ voice cut through their panic. He was absolutely livid, and screaming blame at both Mini and Tyler, accusing them of leaving Scotty behind on purpose and choosing to save their own gang over him, and Mini’s heart  _ dropped _ . That wasn’t what happened  _ at all _ , and it pained him to know that that was something they thought he would do. He  _ wanted _  to save Scotty, he  _ really did _ , but there was nothing he could do. He died before he could do anything to help, not there was much he could do to begin with, and it wasn’t his fault.  _ It wasn’t his fault. _

Tyler had jumped to his defense almost immediately, and even though he didn’t know exactly what had happened to Scotty, he explained that there was no way that either of them could have done anything to help him. He was already dead by the time Tyler had saw him, and there was no way that Mini could have possibly dragged both him and Scotty’s dead body out of the hangar before it exploded. It wasn’t Mini’s fault that he was gone, and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. 

Even with that explanation, Delirious refused to calm down, and started shifting the blame onto Evan for taking them here and asking them to join their gang, and then shifted the blame onto the gangs that were here when they showed up, and it became obvious to them fairly quickly that he wasn’t genuinely angry at any of them, and this was just his way of dealing with the pain of losing a friend. Nogla gently placed his hands on his shoulders and steered him towards one of their cars and they drove off, leaving Brian to bandage Tyler, and carry both him and Mini into the other car by himself. Because the car was severely damaged, they were forced to steal another one along the way so the plentiful bullet holes in the doors didn’t arouse suspicion when they drove back into the city. 

This led to where they were now, pulling in outside of the hospital so Tyler could get his leg and his ribs checked out by a doctor whose medical expertise came from years of schooling, and not from reading Yahoo answers like everyone else on their team. “You two are probably going to be here for a while, so I’m going to call Brock and meet up with the others and make sure they got out okay. Text me or something when you need picked up,” Brian told them and bid them goodbye as Mini climbed out of the car and then helped Tyler climb out after him. 

They waved at Brian as he drove off, and he honked back at them in return, and once he was out of sight, Mini tugged Tyler’s arm around his shoulders and snaked an arm around his waist, before beginning to lead him inside. 

\-----------------

It was almost three hours before they got called to see a doctor, and they were both feeling tired and fed up after the long, emotionally taxing day they had just experienced. By this point, they were sick of waiting around, and were itching to get home and relax in bed and let the world forget about them for just a little while, desperately needing a little time to unwind after all of the commotion they had that morning. 

While they were waiting, Evan had called to check up on them and update them on how everyone else was doing, and Mini was relieved to find out that he was okay. Both he and Brock had managed to escape with nothing but a few minor cuts and bruises, as did Lui and Basically, and the helicopter was now safely hidden away in an abandoned warehouse unbeknownst to the gang they had stolen it from. Brian had told him about everything that happened on their end, and was now cuddling with Brock on the couch back at base, like a pair of long lost lovers who had just returned from war. 

It was a weight off his shoulders to know that they were all doing well, but the same couldn’t be said about Lui and Basically. Scotty’s death was not taken well, not that Mini expected it to be, and Evan found himself jumping in front of Brian out of fear that one of them was going to strangle the messenger. Lui was quiet, too in shock to say anything, but Basically more than made up for his silence. He was caught between distraught and furious, and went off on a tirade against anyone and everyone for allowing this to happen, including himself, his voice wavering as he tried hard not to break down into tears. 

Evan didn’t realise how close he was to Scotty, not until he had apologised for what had happened and tried to reassure him that everything would be okay, only to have Basically snap at him for daring to suggest that the world would move on without his best friend. The verbal onslaught that he threw at him had even Evan flinching, who was usually good at remaining composed in these sorts of situations, and Lui had to drag him back to their car before things escalated even further.

Even when Mini asked him directly, Evan avoided telling him how he felt about Scotty’s death, and Mini had to wonder if he was pinning the blame of what happened on himself. After all, he was their leader, and in some way that made him responsible for their lives, and Mini hoped he wasn’t taking that to heart. However he was feeling, it was clear that he was still worried about his friends, and before he bid them goodbye and hung up the phone, he made Mini promise to keep him updated with how they were doing.

That was an hour ago, but now they were finally going to see a doctor, and with any luck, they’d be home before the sun began to set. One of the nurses had gifted them with a wheelchair so Tyler wouldn’t have to hop around on his injured leg any longer, and Mini was able to easily push him into the examination room without much trouble or strain. 

The doctor greeted them at the door, holding it open for them as Mini wheeled Tyler inside. “That leg doesn’t look good,” he commented idly, watching as Mini parked the wheelchair next to the hospital bed as he shut the door behind them. 

“Doesn’t feel good either,” Tyler told him honestly, allowing Mini to help him stand up. He firmly gripped Mini’s shoulders, using him to steady himself as he hopped to the bed on his one good leg, and once he was close enough, he laid down and propped his leg up, shifting around until he was comfortable. 

“I’d imagine it wouldn’t,” the doctor chuckled and wandered over to his desk to grab a pair of latex gloves. “But if you don’t mind, I want to take a look at your boyfriend’s head first. What did you say your name was?” he asked casually, as if his earlier words hadn’t made Mini’s entire world stop.  _ Boyfriend?!  _ He thought he was Tyler’s  _ boyfriend _ ?! 

“Uhh… Craig,” Mini responded, too stunned about the mistake to correct him. His heart rate was picking up and his cheeks were burning, and his mind was racing as he tried to figure out what it was about them that made the doctor think that they were dating. Was his crush that obvious?

“Alright Craig, just sit here next to Tyler so I can get a look at you,” the doctor directed him, sitting him down on the edge of the bed before tugging on his latex gloves. 

Mini could feel Tyler watching him, likely waiting for him to correct the doctor for mistaking them as a couple, except Mini never did, the words never finding the way to his tongue. He wanted to tell him the truth and explain that they were just friends, but he was so flustered that he was struggling to find the words, and the moment passed so quickly that he lost the opportunity to explain. He hoped that Tyler wasn’t annoyed at the fact he wasn’t saying anything, or disgusted at the thought that they were assumed to be together, but he needn’t worry as Tyler did what Tyler did best and used this as an opportunity to tease him. 

“Yeah babe, come sit next to me,” Tyler said all too gleefully, shuffling closer to the wall so Mini would have more room to sit on the bed with him, wrapping an arm around his stomach to pull him closer, and beaming at him with a wide, shit eating grin. 

Mini shot him a light glare for playing along, but he supposed he did bring this on himself for not correcting the doctor in the first place, but still, he wasn’t sure how he felt about Tyler pretending they were dating. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the thought of them being together, he honestly didn’t mind, but it was the degree in which he didn’t mind that was bothering him, and it was bringing up some feelings that he’d really rather not deal with in that moment (or possibly ever). 

The doctor chuckled at them, amused at how Tyler was handling him, but was quick to get back to business. He gently gripped Mini’s head, and examined the cut on his forehead closely, softly humming in concentration. “The good news is it isn’t too deep, but the bad news is that it  _ is _  deep enough that you’ll need a few stitches - not many, just two or three,” he concluded, stepping away to rummage through a cupboard. “Were you knocked unconscious at all?” 

“Yeah, for about…” Mini began, trailing off when he realised he didn’t know how long he was out for, and looked to Tyler for help. 

“Just over an hour,” Tyler supplied for him, smiling softly at him, and gently rubbing his side with the arm that was still wrapped around him, and Mini’s cheeks flushed as he wondered why Tyler was bothering with the affectionate boyfriend act when the doctor wasn’t even looking at them. 

“Hmmm, that’s concerning,” the doctor frowned as he fidgeted with a syringe that Mini guessed was filled with some sort of anesthetic. “Do you find that you have trouble concentrating? Any memory problems? Drowsiness?”

Mini thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. “No, nothing like that. I had a headache when I came to but it faded after a while.”

“And you remember what happened before you fell unconscious?” 

Again, Mini looked to Tyler, but he knew the doctor wouldn’t accept him answering for him, so he didn’t have much of a choice but to lie about what happened himself. He could remember everything clear as day, but he couldn’t let him find out they were criminals, doctor-patient confidentiality or not, and had no choice but to tell him the lie they had come up with in the car.

“I hit Tyler with my car and banged my head on the steering wheel,” he explained curtly, shifting on the bed and staring down at the floor, feeling uncomfortable about lying to a medical professional.

“...You hit your boyfriend with your car?” the doctor asked surprised as he carried a metal tray over to the bed and set it down on the nearby counter. The tray held a syringe, as well as a needle, thread, and equipment needed to disinfect and clean his wound, and Mini recognized it as being supplies for giving someone stitches. 

“Dumbass wasn’t watching where he was going and walked out in front of me,” Mini told him, glaring at Tyler for picking a lie that made him sound like an awful person, and the doctor laughed.

“It’s okay, I forgive you,” Tyler said, gently stroking his side again and smiling sheepishly at him in a silent apology. Mini couldn’t help but feel bad for being hard on him when there really wasn’t any other excuse they could have told that would’ve been believable, and he lightly caressed his arm to show that there were no hard feelings. 

“I’m sorry if I reignited some sort of domestic dispute,” the doctor apologised, but Tyler waved him off.

“It’s okay, we’re fine. Right babe?”

“Yeah, rock solid,” Mini confirmed, silently wishing Tyler would stop calling him that.

“I’m glad to hear,” the doctor said sincerely and picked up the syringe, flicking the needle twice with his finger before turning to face him. “I’m going to give you some anesthetic before I start stitching you up, so this might hurt for a moment,” he warned him, lining up the needle with his head, and before he even touched him, Mini was reaching for Tyler’s hand instinctively. 

Just like he was told, Mini felt a sharp sting in his forehead as the needle broke through his skin, and he squeezed Tyler’s fingers tightly, eyes and teeth clenching shut. He could feel Tyler’s thumb gently stroke the back of his hand soothingly, and he tried his best to focus on the comforting motion instead of the pain shooting through his skull, but it only lasted for a few more seconds and subsided when the needle was plucked out.

“There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” the doctor smiled at him, setting the now empty syringe back down on the tray. “It’ll take a minute for it to take effect, so I’m going to have a look at your boyfriend’s leg while we wait.” 

Mini nodded, and was about to hop off the bed out of the way, but Tyler had other ideas and snaked his arm around his stomach again and tugged him closer to his torso. Tyler merely smiled at him when he looked at him quizzically, and he looked away just as quickly to hide his suddenly burning cheeks. He was taking pretending to be his boyfriend so seriously, and every little piece of affection he showed him went straight to his heart and caused it to skip beats, and it certainly didn’t help that he was maybe possibly enjoying it just a little. 

He was ashamed that he was letting his crush get the better of him, and was allowing himself to indulge in all the light touches and gentle holding and dumb pet names, but he just couldn’t help it. He had been trying so hard for a long time  _ not  _ to imagine them together as a couple, but now he was thrust into a situation when they had to pretend to be just that (which was entirely his fault), and it was just so nice to have Tyler care for him like this, even if he was just pretending. 

Mini didn’t realise that he was lost in thought until a question from the doctor snapped him back to reality, and he noticed that he was already beginning to pull out a second syringe of anesthesia out of Tyler’s now exposed bloodied leg. This was the first that Mini got to see his injury clearly  and he didn’t realise it was so bad. The wound was spread out across his calf, clearly exposing the broken bone, and he was quick to look away when he felt his stomach churn. 

“So how did you two meet?”

That was a question that neither of them were prepared to answer, as evidenced by the panicked glances they shared, neither of them wanting to be the one to make up some sort of couple origin story on the spot. “Uhh you tell him, babe,” Tyler said, nudging him and shifting the responsibility of answering off himself and onto him.

“Awww, but you’re so good at telling it,” Mini said with fake affection, bitterness lacing his words as he nudged him back, barely managing to hide his annoyance that Tyler was trying to make him lie again. He had lied enough today, and now as far as he was concerned, it was Tyler’s turn to come up with some ridiculous story that further gave backstory to the fake lives they were slowly creating for themselves. 

“Well… we were friends for ages first, but then when rent got expensive, I needed a roommate and he needed a cheaper place to live, so he moved in with me and we started living together... But suddenly having him around all the time just made me realise that I was in love with him, and suddenly being ‘just friends’ wasn’t enough any more,” Tyler explained with such soft sincerity that Mini almost believed he was telling the truth, and if it weren’t for the fact that he knew he was lying and knew that Tyler couldn’t possibly be in love with him, then he might have fallen for his carefully crafted lie as well. “I… didn’t want to ruin our friendship so I didn’t say anything for the longest time, but eventually a friend of mine got sick and tired of me pining over him all the time, and basically told me to nut up and ask him out before I lost my chance… So I did. And we’ve been together ever since.” 

Tyler was forcing a smile, and was diligently avoiding looking directly at him, gaze firmly fixed on the doctor. “That’s very sweet,” he cooed with a smile, before stepping away from the bed. “Now that leg of yours is definitely broken, but I do think we’ll xray you just to be sure, so I’m going to quickly make an appointment for you with the radiologist, and then I’ll stitch you both up when I come back. So hang tight, and I’ll be back in a sec,” he bid them goodbye before slipping out of the room, leaving them both alone. 

The silence in the room was deafening following the lie Tyler had told that almost sounded like an admission, and he was still avoiding eye contact with him which wasn’t helping the tense atmosphere any. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and Mini was regretting not correcting the doctor when he had the chance so they wouldn’t have had to go through this ridiculous charade that was just putting further strain on their already strained relationship. 

Mini couldn’t understand  _ why _  Tyler was refusing to look at him, but he could only imagine that it had something to do with pretending to be in love with him, but whatever the case, Mini couldn’t stand the thought of them not talking, not when they hadn’t spoken in almost two days before this, and broke the silence with a teasing “‘Babe’? Really?”

Tyler’s face broke into a grin as he chuckled to himself, and Mini smiled, satisfied that he managed to cheer him up. “You’re the one who let the doctor think we were dating, dick cheese,” Tyler shot back, playfully poking him in the side from where he lay behind him. “I was just trying to sell it.”

“You could’ve corrected him too!” Mini pointed out, and went to poke him back but Tyler grabbed his hand before he had a chance. 

“Yeah, but it’s more fun embarrassing you though,” he teased, squeezing his fingers once before letting go, and his soft smile was enough to assure Mini that his mistake wasn’t going to break their friendship. “Look,” he added in a more serious tone, and that same soft smile he was just admiring was quick to fade into a frown. “I’m sorry…” he trailed off, biting his lip as he struggled to find the words. 

“It’s fine, Tyler. As you said, I brought this on myself for not correcting him-”

“No, not that. Well, I’m sorry for pushing the embarrassing pet names on you too, but that’s not what I want to apologise for. It’s everything else from before...” he explained, and Mini’s brows raised in surprise when he realised what he was talking about. “I fucked up, and I shouldn’t have said that shit about you a few days ago. I know you don’t need a babysitter, I was just pissed at Evan and wasn’t thinking. It’s just…” he sighed, absentmindedly taking his hand again. “I’m so fucking worried about you, all the time. Back when you were kidnapped and none of us knew where you were or what was happening to you… I thought you were dead or getting tortured or something, and I blamed myself for not looking out for you-”

“Tyler, that wasn’t your fault!” Mini interrupted with a frown. Was he really blaming himself for that this whole time? 

“I know, but I still couldn’t stop myself from thinking that if I had have been there, then it never would’ve happened to begin with because maybe I could’ve stopped it somehow, and I could’ve protected you… and ever since then, I just never wanted to leave you alone out of fear of something like that happening to you again…” He took a deep breath. “So when Evan split us up for that robbery, I got scared you’d get hurt somehow because I wasn’t there to protect you, so I made him promise to keep an eye on you, and then when I found out that he broke that promise… I freaked out. I got so mad that I wasn’t thinking straight, and I said some shit that I regret, and I’m sorry.”

Tyler’s gaze was locked on their intertwined fingers as he gently stroked his skin, too ashamed of himself to meet his eyes, and genuinely looked guilty for the things he had said and done, but even then, Mini wasn’t sure he was ready to forgive him just yet. After everything that happened that morning, he didn’t want to be fighting with Tyler any more, but knowing that Tyler thought he was weak and needed protecting still stung, and he couldn’t waive that off so easily.

“Do you really think that I’m too weak to look after myself?” he asked quietly, and Tyler’s head snapped up at the accusation.

“What?! No! Of course not!” he exclaimed, clearly offended that he’d even dare suggest such a thing. “You’re not weak, Mini. I think you proved that today when you ran into a fucking  _ burning building _  to save my sorry ass,” he pointed out, smiling feebly at him. “You saved my life, Mini. A few more minutes in there and I’d be  _ dead _  right now, so of course you’re not too weak to look after yourself. Hell, you proved that you’re strong enough to look after the both of us.”

It wasn’t until Tyler had pointed it out to him that it clicked that with him that Tyler had almost  _ died _  this morning. In fact, it was a miracle that he  _ hadn’t _ . The hangar had collapsed in on top of him, easily knocking him out and crushing his leg and chest, and he was very lucky that it hadn’t killed him. Not to mention the fact that the hangar blew up mere seconds after Mini had dragged him out of the building, and if he had spent even a minute more trying to find him, then neither of them would have made out in time, and would have been incinerated in a fiery gas explosion. 

It was only by pure luck that either of them even survived long enough to make it to the hospital, and the weight of that realisation came down on him like a ton of bricks.

“Oh my God… you almost died today…” Mini breathed, unconsciously tightening his grip on Tyler’s hand, heart rate picking up as he began to panic. 

“But I didn’t though! All thanks to you,” Tyler said softly, and when he saw that his words had no affect on him, he gently tugged him down on top of him so he could pull him into a hug. He manoeuvred Mini around so he was pressed into his side, head on his shoulder, andwrapped his arms around him to tug him even closer still. “I’m  _ fine _ , Mini. We’re both fine, all thanks to you. Don’t think about what could’ve been, because that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we’re both alright, okay? You saved my life, and that’s all that matters.”

Mini could feel Tyler’s lips moving against his forehead as he spoke, and could feel his hand rub soothing circles into his back, and he easily relaxed into his side. Tyler was right; he might’ve almost lost him that morning, but he was still living and breathing next to him right now, and that’s all that mattered. All that mattered was that he could hear the light thump of Tyler’s heart beating in his chest, and feel the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed (even if it was a little ragged on account of his injured rib, and he mentally noted to point that out to the doctor when he returned). There was no point dwelling on the thought that he might not have made it this far if things were different, and there was no point in keeping hold of past grudges when life was such a fleeting thing. 

All that mattered was the here and now, and right then, they were both curled up together on a hospital bed  _ alive, _  They were together, and that’s all that mattered.

“I forgive you,” Mini said softly, allowing himself to cuddle closer to him. “For what you said a few days ago, I mean. I understand that you didn’t mean it, and I forgive you.”

Mini could feel Tyler’s entire body relax as he let out a sigh of relief, days of built up stress escaping in that one exhale. “I really didn’t mean it. I swear to you I didn’t mean it!”

“I know,” Mini assured him, smiling to himself. 

“Good, because I would never think that about you. Ever.”

“I know,” Mini repeated, feeling more content than he had in days. “I should probably get up before the doctor gets back,” he mused, but Tyler seemed to disagree and tightened his grip on him at the suggestion.

“Who gives a shit? He already thinks we’re dating,” he pointed out, and Mini couldn’t find it within himself to fault that logic.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thrilling conclusion to a six/seven month long cliffhanger :P hopefully that was worth the wait, and apologies if it wasn't <3
> 
> Speaking of apologies, I'm so SO sorry for taking so long >.> Its been an eventful few months, and Murphy's Law has been in full swing lately, but I finally managed to sit down and get this chapter done (which admittedly has been half finished since August, so if you notice a change in writing style or a sudden jump in quality half way through, that's why :P)
> 
> One of the reasons I put off writing this for so long was because I wanted to wait until I was able to update regularly again, but I've since realised that that just isn't possible, not in my current situation at least :/ So expect very sporadic updates from here on out. Hopefully the breaks won't be as long as this one was, but don't be surprised if it's another month or two before you hear from me again. I have set a deadline for myself for the next chapter, but whether or not I meet it is anyone's guess, because SURPRISE I'm terrible at keeping those. But I'm going to try, and I have the next chapter planned out already, so hopefully I can make it <3
> 
> I am working on other multi chaptered fics alongside this one that to be brutally honest with you I enjoy writing a whole lot more than I enjoy writing this fic, so expect to see those some time soon as well (one of them also has minicat :o) So yeah I'm jumping back and forward between three writing projects atm, but I'm sick of not working on the fics I actually /want/ to work on just because I have this unfinished monster hanging over my head, so I'm going to work on those and then update this one when I get the motivation to. I do want to finish this fic so I will continue to work on it, but I really want to work on my other fic ideas as well that I've been really excited about for a looooong time so a lot of juggling will be done :P <3
> 
> I feel like I owe you an explanation about what happened that prevented me from updating for so long, but I'm a private person and don't like talking about my personal life much (and I don't think Ao3 is the place to be talking about my personal life anyway), so I'll be vague. I moved country, and encountered a fuck ton of problems because of that, and was an anxiety ridden mess before I left and for ages after I got here. I didn't have a place to live when I got here and lived in a hostel for a long time (six weeks >.>), which caused even more problems and anxiety, and it actually wasn't until last month that I finally had a stable living situation. Things have been real rough and updating this fic was far from a priority, but I finally reached a point when I felt like I could work on it again, so here we are. Work is killing me and I have so many other projects I want to work on, so regular updates prob still won't happen, but I'm confident that I am in a place now where I can at least update occasionally. Again, I'm sorry for disappearing, but it really couldn't be helped <3
> 
> Other than that, I don't think there's anything else I have to say? Thank you kindly for all the hits, comments, kudos, etc and for the support in general, you're all stars <3 And much love to anyone that took the time to create fanart for me! I love it all, and you're all crazy talented <333   
> Look at it with your faces:
> 
> http://brocksnuckel.tumblr.com/post/138036296693/iigoeyei-hey-hey-its-done-this-wasnt-a  
> http://brocksnuckel.tumblr.com/post/136497798328/not-my-fault14-reread-humble-beginnings-by
> 
> And if you want updates on what I'm writing, or read the oneshots and drabbles that I wrote during the break that I didn't deem long and/or quality enough for Ao3, or even just listen to me yammer on about whatever headcanon, AU, or ship that's taken my fancy this time, then you can follow me on the tumbles here:
> 
> http://brocksnuckel.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> Love you mwah <3


End file.
